Due to the flexibility and lightness, flexible thermoelectric (TE) technology shows great potential in the field of renewable energy and low-temperature waste heat collection. In recent years, a lot of efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of flexible TE technology, such as synthesizing high-performance flexible TE materials, improving the structure of flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs), and optimizing the system integration design. This review comprehensively summarizes the flexible TE materials, device types, substrate selection, and fabrication techniques, aiming to reveal the latest research trend of flexible TE technology. The methods used to improve the physical properties of flexible TE materials and device design are discussed, including theoretical analysis, experimental verification, numerical simulation, and especially the potential and challenges of machine learning in flexible TE materials and devices. Besides, we summarized the applications of flexible TE technology in wearable devices, waste heat utilization of industrial heat pipes, medical sensors, Internet of Things, etc. Finally, the current research status of flexible TE technology and the prospect of the potential development of the flexible TE field are discussed.

由于具有灵活性和轻便性，柔性热电（TE）技术在可再生能源和低温废热收集领域显示出巨大潜力。近年来，已经做出了很多努力来提高柔性TE技术的效率，例如合成高性能的柔性TE材料，改进柔性热电发电机（TEG）的结构以及优化系统集成设计。这篇综述全面总结了柔性TE技术，器件类型，衬底选择和制造技术，旨在揭示柔性TE技术的最新研究趋势。讨论了用于改善柔性TE材料物理性能的方法和器件设计，包括理论分析，实验验证，数值模拟，尤其是在柔性TE材料和设备中机器学习的潜力和挑战。此外，我们总结了柔性TE技术在可穿戴设备中的应用，工业热管的余热利用，医疗传感器，物联网等。最后，介绍了柔性TE技术的研究现状以及该技术的潜在发展前景。讨论了灵活的TE领域。