Development of integrated and flexible thermoelectric micro generators (MiTEG)

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Thermoelectric microgenerators (μTEGs) are able to convert small temperature differences, e.g. between the outside of a warm machine housing and the ambient, into electrical energy. This so-called "thermoelectric energy harvesting" can be used for powering energy autonomous, embedded systems, e.g. Internet of Things (IoT) applications or sensor nodes used for environmental monitoring. The use of such autonomous wireless systems eliminates the maintenance required for extensive cabling or battery replacement. The present project addresses the lack of availability of thermoelectric micro-generators through two complementary, modular approaches towards cost-effective fabrication: a) electrochemical deposition of metallic materials with high power factors; and b) dispensing / printing nanostructured TE materials in the form of dispersions and pastes into scalable, pre-structured substrates. The processes are partly complemented by sintering and thermal annealing processes to obtain highly efficient TE materials. Following the idea of a modular manufacturing process, the processes can also be combined, which will be shown for contacting the TE materials. The present project has three main objectives: a) to investigate novel or optimized thermoelectric materials with high power factors as well as their methods of deposition and processing, to produce high quality thermoelectric legs; b) Development of efficient, materials wise flexible and cost-effective manufacturing processes for μTEGs; c) Demonstration of application scenarios, as preliminary work for subsequent transfer projects with industrial partners. The project is based on the applicants many years of experience in the field of thermoelectrics especially in the area of electrochemical deposition of TE materials as well as paste, dispensing and grinding processes. In addition, the applicants have access to the fabrication and measuring facilities of the respective professorships of which they are part, as well as their know-how. The long-term vision of the project is the cost-effective production of variable, highly efficient μTEGs to meet the future (potentially) high demand for small, maintenance-free and universal energy sources for IoT applications.