The melting point of the commercial soldering materials is a limiting factor for the functionality of the thermoelectric generators (TEGs) in medium-temperature ranges higher than 200 °C. Hence, using a proper bonding method which could be formed at lower temperatures and withstand higher temperatures is inevitable to unlock the full potential of the commercial thermoelectric materials. Nano-silver bonding is known as the “low-temperature joining technique” due to its lower processing temperature compared with the other conventional bonding approaches. This study is focused on presenting a fabrication process of flexible TEGs using nano-silver (Ag) paste bonding. The pellets of thermoelectric materials were prepared by wire cutting of bismuth telluride ingots in desired sizes. The electrical interconnects between the thermoelectric legs are nano-silver paste traces printed by a digitally control dispenser printer. Reliability of the thermoelectric module was evaluated from room temperature up to 300 °C as well as conducting the cyclic bending test. The proposed fabrication technique is similar to the flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) concept, which is scalable for high-throughput manufacturing, such as roll-to-roll or sheet-to-sheet printing.

中文翻译：

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基于纳米银键合的中低温应用柔性热电发电机的高通量制造


商用焊接材料的熔点是热电发电机 (TEG) 在高于 200 °C 的中温范围内发挥功能的限制因素。因此，使用可以在较低温度下形成并承受较高温度的适当键合方法对于释放商业热电材料的全部潜力是不可避免的。纳米银键合被称为“低温连接技术”，因为与其他传统键合方法相比，其加工温度较低。本研究重点介绍使用纳米银 (Ag) 浆料粘合的柔性 TEG 的制造工艺。通过将碲化铋锭线切割成所需尺寸来制备热电材料颗粒。热电腿之间的电互连是由数控点胶打印机打印的纳米银膏迹线。热电模块的可靠性在室温至 300 °C 的温度范围内进行评估，并进行循环弯曲测试。所提出的制造技术类似于柔性混合电子（FHE）概念，可扩展用于高通量制造，例如卷对卷或单张印刷。