Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities
Abstract Flexible thermoelectric devices enable direct energy conversion between heat and electrical energy, making them ideal for wearable electronics and personal thermal management. Yet, current devices lack functional module expansion, which limits the customization for diverse energy-harvesting...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59602-8 |
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| _version_ | 1849729019987099648 |
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| author | Xiaolong Sun Yue Hou Zheng Zhu Bo Zhu Qianfeng Ding Wenjie Zhou Sijia Yan Zhanglong Xia Yong Liu Youmin Hou Yuan Yu Ziyu Wang |
| author_facet | Xiaolong Sun Yue Hou Zheng Zhu Bo Zhu Qianfeng Ding Wenjie Zhou Sijia Yan Zhanglong Xia Yong Liu Youmin Hou Yuan Yu Ziyu Wang |
| author_sort | Xiaolong Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Flexible thermoelectric devices enable direct energy conversion between heat and electrical energy, making them ideal for wearable electronics and personal thermal management. Yet, current devices lack functional module expansion, which limits the customization for diverse energy-harvesting heat sources and complicates their assembly to meet the specific power requirements of electrical appliances. Moreover, existing devices cannot be stacked to enhance thermoelectric cooling performance while maintaining flexibility and self-healing capabilities. Here, by selectively encapsulating liquid metal electrodes with carbon nanotube-doped self-healing materials with increased thermal conductivity, we substantially improve heat transfer across thermoelectric legs, thereby maximizing energy conversion efficiency. The device achieves a normalized power density of 3.14 μW⋅cm−2 ⋅ K−2, setting a benchmark for self-healing thermoelectric devices. Benefiting from self-healing materials and liquid metal, the device demonstrates both self-healing capabilities and modular assembly, greatly expanding the application scenarios of flexible thermoelectric devices in wearable power generation and refrigeration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e04e2b1d8ca04ae2a067617a7a6ff9a0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-e04e2b1d8ca04ae2a067617a7a6ff9a02025-08-20T03:09:20ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-011611910.1038/s41467-025-59602-8Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilitiesXiaolong Sun0Yue Hou1Zheng Zhu2Bo Zhu3Qianfeng Ding4Wenjie Zhou5Sijia Yan6Zhanglong Xia7Yong Liu8Youmin Hou9Yuan Yu10Ziyu Wang11The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityThe Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityKey Laboratory of Artificial Micro-structures of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Power and Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan UniversityInstitute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, Sommerfeldstraße 14The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan UniversityAbstract Flexible thermoelectric devices enable direct energy conversion between heat and electrical energy, making them ideal for wearable electronics and personal thermal management. Yet, current devices lack functional module expansion, which limits the customization for diverse energy-harvesting heat sources and complicates their assembly to meet the specific power requirements of electrical appliances. Moreover, existing devices cannot be stacked to enhance thermoelectric cooling performance while maintaining flexibility and self-healing capabilities. Here, by selectively encapsulating liquid metal electrodes with carbon nanotube-doped self-healing materials with increased thermal conductivity, we substantially improve heat transfer across thermoelectric legs, thereby maximizing energy conversion efficiency. The device achieves a normalized power density of 3.14 μW⋅cm−2 ⋅ K−2, setting a benchmark for self-healing thermoelectric devices. Benefiting from self-healing materials and liquid metal, the device demonstrates both self-healing capabilities and modular assembly, greatly expanding the application scenarios of flexible thermoelectric devices in wearable power generation and refrigeration.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59602-8 |
| spellingShingle | Xiaolong Sun Yue Hou Zheng Zhu Bo Zhu Qianfeng Ding Wenjie Zhou Sijia Yan Zhanglong Xia Yong Liu Youmin Hou Yuan Yu Ziyu Wang Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities Nature Communications |
| title | Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities |
| title_full | Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities |
| title_fullStr | Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities |
| title_short | Modular assembly of self-healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities |
| title_sort | modular assembly of self healing flexible thermoelectric devices with integrated cooling and heating capabilities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59602-8 |
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