Abstract
Miniature thermoelectric (TE) devices may be used in a variety of applications such as power sources of small sensors, temperature regulation of precision electronics, etc. Reducing the size of TE elements may also enable design of novel devices with unique form factor and higher device efficiency. Current industrial practice of fabricating TE devices usually involves mechanical removal processes that not only lead to material loss but also limit the geometry of the TE elements. In this project, we explored a powder-processing method for the fabrication of TE fibers with large length-to-area ratio, which could be potentially used for miniature TE devices. Powders were milled from Bi2Te3-based bulk materials and then mixed with a thermoplastic resin dissolved in an organic solvent. Through an extrusion process, flexible, continuous fibers with sub-millimeter diameters were formed. The polymer phase was then removed by sintering. Sintered fibers exhibited similar Seebeck coefficients to the bulk materials. However, their electrical resistivity was much higher, which might be related to the residual porosity and grain boundary contamination. Prototype miniature uni-couples fabricated from these fibers showed a linear I–V behavior and could generate millivolt voltages and output power in the nano-watt range. Further development of these TE fibers requires improvement in their electrical conductivities, which needs a better understanding of the causes that lead to the low conductivity in the sintered fibers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
L.E. Bell, Science 32, 1457 (2008).
J.L. Bierschenk, Energy Harvesting Technologies, ed. S. Priya and D. Inman (New York: Springer, 2009), p. 337.
H.J. Goldsmid, Introduction to Thermoelectricity (New York: Springer, 2010), p. 167.
K. Uemura, CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics, ed. D.M. Rome (CRC., New York, 1995)
I. Boniche, S. Masilamani, R.J. Durscher, B.C. Morgan, and D.P. Arnold, J. Electro. Mater. 38, 1293 (2009).
D.E. Wesolowski, R.S. Goeke, A.M. Morales, S.H. Goods, P.A. Sharma, M.P. Saavedra, K.R. Reyes-Gil, W.C.G. Neel, N.Y.C. Yang, and C.A. Apblett, J. Mater. Res. 27, 1149 (2012).
Q. Zhang, Y. Sun, W. Xu, and D. Zhu, Adv. Mater. (2014). doi:10.1002/adma.201305371.
Y. Chen, Y. Zhao, and Z. Liang, Energy Environ. Sci. 8, 401 (2015).
D. Madan, A. Chen, P.K. Wright, and J.W. Evans, J. Appl. Phys. 109, 034904 (2011).
M.-K. Kim, M.-S. Kim, S. Lee, C. Kim, and Y.-J. Kim, Smart Mater. Struct. 23, 105002 (2014).
I. Shiota, H. Kohri, M. Kato, I.J. Ohsugi, Proc. 2006 ICT, 247 (2006).
S. Baskaran, S.D. Nunn, D. Popovic, and J.W. Halloran, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 76, 2209 (1993).
F. Ren, H. Wang, P. Menchhofer, and J. Kiggans, Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 221907 (2013).
J.M. Montes, J.A. Rodríguez, and E.J. Herrera, Powder Metall. 46, 251 (2003).
K. Zhu, C.-F. Li, and Z.-G. Zhu, Chin. Phys. Lett. 24, 187 (2007).
D.R. Lide, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 96th ed. (Swindon: Taylor & Francis, 2015–2016), section 6
V. Pachero, H. Gorlitz, N. Peranio, Z. Aabdin, O. Eibl, Thermoelectric Bi2Te3 Nanomaterials, ed. O. Eibl, K. Nielsch, N. Peranio, F. Volklein (Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 2015), p. 99.
X. Guo and R. Waser, Prog. Mater Sci. 51, 151 (2006).
M. Gerstl, E. Navickas, G. Friedbacher, F. Kubel, M. Ahrens, and J. Fleig, Solid State Ion. 185, 32 (2011).
Acknowledgement
The research was sponsored by the ORNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development Seed Money Program, under DOE contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ren, F., Menchhofer, P., Kiggans, J. et al. Development of Thermoelectric Fibers for Miniature Thermoelectric Devices. J. Electron. Mater. 45, 1412–1418 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4050-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4050-8