The inherently small temperature difference in air environment restricts the applications of thermoelectric generation in the field of Internet of Things and wearable electronics. Here, a leaf-inspired flexible thermoelectric generator (leaf-TEG) that makes maximum use of temperature difference by vertically aligning poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate and constantan thin films is demonstrated. Analytical formulae of the performance scales, i.e., temperature difference utilization ratio (φ_th) and maximum output power (P_max), are derived to optimize the leaf-TEG dimensions. In an air duct (substrate: 36 °C, air: 6 °C, air flowing: 1 m s⁻¹), the 10-leaf-TEG shows a φ_th of 73% and P_max of 0.38 µW per leaf. A proof-of-concept wearable 100-leaf-TEG (60 cm²) generates 11 µW on an arm at room temperature. Furthermore, the leaf-TEG is flexible and durable that is confirmed by bending and brushing over 1000 times. The proposed leaf-TEG is very appropriate for air convection scenarios with limited temperature differences.

中文翻译：

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环境空气中具有高温差利用率和输出功率的受叶启发的柔性热电发电机

空气环境固有的微小温差限制了热电发电在物联网和可穿戴电子领域的应用。在这里，展示了一种受叶子启发的柔性热电发电机（leaf-TEG），它通过垂直排列聚（3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩）聚苯乙烯磺酸盐和康铜薄膜来最大限度地利用温差。推导出性能尺度的解析公式，即温差利用率( φ _th ) 和最大输出功率( P _max )，以优化叶片TEG 尺寸。在空气管道（基质：36°C，空气：6°C，空气流动：1 m s ^-1）中，10叶TEG显示出73 _%的φth和每叶0.38 µW的P _max。概念验证的可穿戴 100 叶 TEG (60 cm ² ) 在室温下在手臂上产生 11 µW 的功率。此外，Leaf-TEG 具有柔韧性和耐用性，经过超过 1000 次的弯曲和刷洗证实。所提出的 Leaf-TEG 非常适合温差有限的空气对流场景。