ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
September 2024
Using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to fabricate BiTe-based thermoelectric (TE) generators opens a potential way to create shape-conformable devices capable of recovering waste heat from thermal energy sources with diverse surface morphologies. However, pores formed in 3D-printed BiTe-based materials by the removal of the organic ink binder result in unsatisfactory performance compared to the bulk materials, which has limited the widespread application of the ink-based 3D printing process. Furthermore, managing the volatile Se element in the n-type materials poses significant technological challenges compared to the p-type counterparts, resulting in a scarcity of research on 3D printing of n-type BiTe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
July 2024
Se-free n-type (Bi,Sb)Te thermoelectric materials, outperforming traditional n-type Bi(Te,Se), emerge as a compelling candidate for practical applications of recovering low-grade waste heat. A 100% improvement in the maximum of n-type BiSbTe is demonstrated by using melt-spinning and excess Te-assisted transient liquid phase sintering (LPS). Te-rich sintering promotes the formation of intrinsic defects (Te), elevating the carrier concentration and enhancing the electrical conductivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThermoelectric devices have received significant attention because of their potential for sustainable energy recovery. In these devices, a thermal design that optimizes heat transfer and dissipation is crucial for maximizing the power output. Heat dissipation generally requires external active or passive cooling devices, which often suffer from inevitable heat loss and heavy systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPower generation through the thermoelectric (TE) effect in small-sized devices requires a submillimeter-thick film that is beneficial to effectively maintain Δ compared with a micron-scale thin film. However, most TE thick films, which are fabricated using printing technologies, suffer from low electrical conductivity due to the porous structures formed after sintering of the organic binder-mixed TE ink. In this study, we report an n-type TE thick film fabricated through bar-coating of the edge-oxidized-graphene (EOG)-dispersed BiTeSe (BTS) paste with copper dopants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurface oxide (AlO) of reactive fine aluminum (Al) particles for solid fuels, propellants, and brazing materials often restricted oxidative performance, though the passivation film acts to protect Al particles from exploding. Here, we report fine Al particles fully covered with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer instead of an AlO film on the surface. This advance is based on the introduction of strong Al-F bonds, known to be an alternative to the Al-O bonds of surface oxides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, a roll-to-roll (R2R) process for the large-scale fabrication of aluminum thin films on flexible polyimide (PI) films is proposed. The R2R machine for Al-film coating assembled in the current work uses a previously reported Al etherate-based precursor ink as the source. After the PI substrate is exposed to a diluted catalyst, the Al precursor ink is coated directly on to the substrate by a slit-die coating method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThrough the direct decomposition of an Al precursor ink AlH{O(CH)}, we fabricated an Al-coated conductive fiber filter for the efficient electrostatic removal of airborne particles (>99%) with a low pressure drop (~several Pascals). The effects of the electrical and structural properties of the filters were investigated in terms of collection efficiency, pressure drop, and particle deposition behavior. The collection efficiency did not show a significant correlation with the extent of electrical conductivity, as the filter is electrostatically charged by the metallic Al layers forming electrical networks throughout the fibers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we introduce a reusable bifunctional polyester/aluminum (PET/Al) air filter for the high efficiency simultaneous capture and inactivation of airborne microorganisms. Both bacteria of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis were collected on the PET/Al filter with a high efficiency rate (∼99.99%) via the electrostatic interactions between the charged bacteria and fibers without sacrificing pressure drop.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFabric-based electronic textiles (e-textiles) are the fundamental components of wearable electronic systems, which can provide convenient hand-free access to computer and electronics applications. However, e-textile technologies presently face significant technical challenges. These challenges include difficulties of fabrication due to the delicate nature of the materials, and limited operating time, a consequence of the conventional normally on computing architecture, with volatile power-hungry electronic components, and modest battery storage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent efforts to develop stretchable resistive heaters open up the possibility for their use in wearable thermotherapy applications. Such heaters should have high electrothermal performance and stability to be used practically, and the fabrication must be simple, economic, reproducible, and scalable. Here we present a simple yet highly efficient way of producing high-performance stretchable heaters, which is based on a facile kirigami pattering (the art of cutting and folding paper) of a highly conductive paper for practical wearable thermotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we demonstrate a new strategy of air filtration based on an Al-coated conductive fibrous filter for high efficient nanoparticulate removals. The conductive fibrous filter was fabricated by a direct decomposition of Al precursor ink, AlH{O(CH)}, onto surfaces of a polyester air filter via a cost-effective and scalable solution-dipping process. The prepared conductive filters showed a low sheet resistance (<1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2017
A highly stretchable, low-cost strain sensor was successfully prepared using an extremely cost-effective ionic liquid of ethylene glycol/sodium chloride. The hysteresis performance of the ionic-liquid-based sensor was able to be improved by introducing a wavy-shaped fluidic channel diminishing the hysteresis by the viscoelastic relaxation of elastomers. From the simulations on visco-hyperelastic behavior of the elastomeric channel, we demonstrated that the wavy structure can offer lower energy dissipation compared to a flat structure under a given deformation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report a flexible high-performance conducting film using an embedded copper nanowire transparent conducting electrode; this material can be used as a transparent electrode platform for typical flexible optoelectronic devices. The monolithic composite structure of our transparent conducting film enables simultaneously an outstanding oxidation stability of the copper nanowire network (14 d at 80 °C), an exceptionally smooth surface topography (R(rms) < 2 nm), and an excellent opto-electrical performances (Rsh = 25 Ω sq(-1) and T = 82%). A flexible organic light emitting diode device is fabricated on the transparent conducting film to demonstrate its potential as a flexible copper nanowire electrode platform.
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