The optimization of flexible thin-film thermoelectric generators (TEGs) suitable for large-area roll-to-roll (R2R) processing is investigated. The selection of suitable contact materials, in-line patterning of connections, and dimension of the thermoelectric (TE) strip are studied. As a result, copper is selected for contacts because it possesses a similar performance to gold while being cheaper. Both in-series- and in-parallel-connected devices are found to work well and provide a voltage-dominant and current-dominant power source, respectively. The Seebeck coefficient and internal resistance of a device are extracted from the fit line to the measured power data. The in-parallel-connected TEG has a much smaller internal resistance and is thus suitable for wearable/portable devices with a small load resistance. A shorter and wider TE strip generates more power. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that experimentally proves a downward trend of power output with increasing strip length. In addition, an industrially feasible/continuous process is proposed for large-scale manufacture of flexible TEGs, by R2R sputtering TE materials on polymer webs, inkjet printing contacts, and segmenting using a laser. A segmented configuration is able to relieve internal strains in the device, while subjected to bending (e.g., within a wristband) to retain performance.

中文翻译：

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柔性薄膜热电发电机的器件优化和大规模卷对卷制造

研究了适用于大面积卷对卷 (R2R) 加工的柔性薄膜热电发电机 (TEG) 的优化。研究了合适的接触材料的选择、连接的在线图案化和热电 (TE) 条的尺寸。因此，选择铜作为触点是因为它具有与金相似的性能同时更便宜。发现串联和并联连接的设备都工作良好，并分别提供电压主导和电流主导的电源。器件的塞贝克系数和内阻从拟合线中提取到测量的功率数据。并联的TEG具有更小的内阻，因此适用于负载电阻小的可穿戴/便携式设备。更短更宽的 TE 带会产生更多功率。据作者所知，这是第一项通过实验证明随着带长度增加功率输出呈下降趋势的研究。此外，还提出了一种工业上可行的/连续的工艺，用于大规模制造柔性 TEG，通过 R2R 在聚合物网上溅射 TE 材料、喷墨印刷触点和使用激光分段。分段配置能够减轻设备中的内部应变，同时经受弯曲（例如，在腕带内）以保持性能。通过 R2R 在聚合物网上溅射 TE 材料、喷墨打印触点和使用激光分段。分段配置能够减轻设备中的内部应变，同时经受弯曲（例如，在腕带内）以保持性能。通过 R2R 在聚合物网上溅射 TE 材料、喷墨打印触点和使用激光分段。分段配置能够减轻设备中的内部应变，同时经受弯曲（例如，在腕带内）以保持性能。