![]() ![]() The n-type 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate (ett)–metal coordination polymers poly (A = K, Na M = Ni, Cu) were also targeted to enhance their TE performance through different approaches. However, the result was neither reproduced nor improved in other reports. The maximum ZT value at room temperature was reported for p-type DMSO-mixed PEDOT:PSS at 0.42. Organic TE materials, mainly conducting polymer-based materials, usually have a good printability, but they have a low TE performance due to a low α that limits their applications. Furthermore, different printing techniques such as inkjet printing, screen printing, aerosol jet printing, dispenser printing, and roll-to-roll printing were exploited in developing flexible TE devices in the last decade. Therefore, developing printable high-performance TE materials has become a notable area of interest in recent times. They offer efficient ways to produce low-cost shape-conformable TEGs by overcoming problems like low spatial resolution, surface roughness, and nonflexibility. Printing technologies can be adopted to tackle the challenges associated with bulk TE materials. Though many inorganic bulk TE materials are found to exhibit adequately good performance, high production costs, complex manufacturing processes, and lack of shape-conformity limit their applications. Therefore, to realize an efficient material, α and σ should be maximized, and κ should be minimized. The performance of a TE material is determined by its figure-of-merit ZT = α 2 σ / κ, where the α is the Seebeck coefficient which is positive for p-type and negative for n-type materials, σ is the electrical conductivity, and κ is the thermal conductivity. Schematic illustration of the printed TE materials processing, device fabrication, and the application of the TEDs. ![]() In Figure 1, we show a schematic illustration of printed TE material fabrication and their fields of applications. They also can utilize low-grade heat into electricity for powering the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Apart from waste heat recovery applications, thermoelectric devices (TEDs) can be employed in different applications, including controlling temperatures of integrated circuits, wearable devices, neurological implantable devices, other medical applications, and heat flux sensing. They perform without any moving components and do not produce any chemical waste hence, they require minimum maintenance. Despite several challenges, efforts were put forward to employ TE generators (TEGs) for waste heat recovery. However, only a few of them can convert heat into electricity effectively. Most solid-state materials exhibit a TE effect. Harvesting energy from heat via the TE effect is possibly one of the simplest solutions to that task. While advanced heat engines such as machines based on the organic ranking cycle (ORC) offer a conversion method, the applications are limited due to the high costs and complexity of the systems. Due to the growth of the global energy demand and limited access to cost-effective renewable energy, the conversion of waste heat energy into electricity would be a significant benefit. Globally, ≈66% of total used energy is wasted in the form of heat energy. In the end, TEDs with different architecture and geometries are highlighted by documenting their performance and fabrication techniques. Afterward, the general process of inorganic TE ink formulation is summarized, and the current development of the inorganic and hybrid inks with the mention of their TE properties and their influencing factors is elaborated. ![]() In this review article, it is started with an introduction signifying the importance of printed thermoelectrics followed by a discussion of theoretical concepts of thermoelectricity, from fundamental transport phenomena to device efficiency. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in printed thermoelectrics in recent years. Although several inorganic bulk TE materials with high performance are successfully developed, achieving high performance in inorganic-based printed TE materials is still a challenge. In recent years, printed thermoelectrics has emerged as an exciting pathway for their potential in the production of low-cost shape-conformable TEDs. However, high production costs per power output and limited shape conformity hinder applications of state-of-the-art thermoelectric devices (TEDs). ![]() So far, most of the research on thermoelectrics has focused on inorganic bulk TE materials and their device applications. One of the simplest ways to generate electric power from waste heat is thermoelectric (TE) energy conversion. ![]()
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