High thermoelectric performance of flexible Ag/Ag2Se composite film on nylon for low-grade energy harvesting

In this work, Ag/Ag 2 Se composite films with excellent thermoelectric (TE) properties and flexibility are prepared based on a simple one-pot method. By adjusting the nominal ratios of Ag/Se, an optimal Ag/Ag 2 Se composite film shows a large power factor of similar to 2275 mu W m -1 K -2 at 300 K. Such an outstanding TE performance of the composite film is due to the unique microstructure and the synergistic effect between the Ag and Ag 2 Se. Meanwhile, the composite film also shows outstanding flexibility ( similar to 91.8% of the initial electrical conductivity is maintained, and the S is unchanged after 1500 bending cycles with a bending radius of 4 mm). Furthermore, a 4-leg flexible TE generator assembled with the optimal film produces a voltage of 14.06 mV and 4.96 mu W at a temperature difference of 30.4 K. This work provides a new inspiration for the preparation of flexible Ag 2 Se-based films with excellent TE performance near room temperature.(c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.