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Thermoelectric Paper: Graphite Pencil Traces on Paper to Fabricate a Thermoelectric Generator
Author(s) -
Mulla Rafiq,
Jones Daniel R.,
Dunnill Charles W.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.184
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2365-709X
DOI - 10.1002/admt.202000227
Subject(s) - thermoelectric generator , thermoelectric effect , thermoelectric materials , graphite , materials science , fabrication , generator (circuit theory) , voltage , pencil (optics) , seebeck coefficient , optoelectronics , electrical engineering , power (physics) , mechanical engineering , composite material , engineering , physics , thermal conductivity , alternative medicine , pathology , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , medicine
Abstract Paper‐based thermoelectric generators are a promising and economical alternative to expensive organic conductors that are normally preferred for flexible generators. In the present work, graphite pencil traces on regular Xerox paper are successfully employed to constitute a thermoelectric generator. In conjunction with polyethylenimine polymer, the graphite traces act as both the p‐type and n‐type thermoelectric “legs,” of a graphite‐based thermoelectric generator. The fabrication method is facile and requires no conducting paste or silver paste to connect individual thermoelectric legs. A test module containing five pairs of p‐n legs is fabricated on paper to test its performance. The device produces a thermoelectric voltage of 9.2 mV, generating an output power of 1.75 nW at a temperature difference of ≈60 K. The present work demonstrates that ordinary pencil on paper may be used as the foundation for a cheap, flexible, easily disposable, and environmentally friendly thermoelectric generator.