Work

Precise Microstructural and Stoichiometric Control Advances Flexible Ag 2 Te Thin‐Film Thermoelectrics for Wearable Energy Harvesting

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Ag 2 Te has emerged as a promising n‐type flexible thermoelectric material for harvesting body heat in wearable electronics. However, previously reported thin films have suffered from low carrier mobility and limited power factor of < 10 µW cm −1 K −2 . Here, we present a two‐step evaporation strategy on polyimide substrates at 280°C, followed by post‐annealing at 250°C, enabling precise microstructural and stoichiometric control. This approach yields Ag 2 Te films with an exceptional room‐temperature carrier mobility of 4756 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and a power factor of 17.9 µW cm −1 K −2 , outperforming both prior thin‐film and bulk counterparts. The resulting devices exhibit excellent flexibility and rapid transient voltage response across temperature differences of 10–40 K, delivering power density up to 11 W m −2 . Integrated into robotic systems and light emitting diode arrays, these films enable thermally triggered actuation and sensing, underscoring their potential for efficient, adaptable, and self‐powered applications in next‐generation Internet of Things devices and sensor networks.

Source: Advanced Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adma.73227