Design and Manufacture of Roll-to-Roll Processable In-Plane Thermoelectric Generator Devices

Presented by Xiaohang Cai, University of Oxford

In-plane thin-film thermoelectric generators are a compelling route toward flexible lightweight power systems in next-generation wearable and portable devices, but their performance is currently limited by the intrinsic brittleness of inorganic thermoelectric materials and integration challenges with deformable substrates.

This work addresses these challenges through a comprehensive investigation of a scalable fabrication process that combines room-temperature DC magnetron sputtering with patterned deposition via flexography. Post-deposition annealing treatments are explored to optimize film quality and thermoelectric performance without compromising device integration.

Thermoelectric thin films are deposited on various flexible substrates, allowing direct comparison of substrate-dependent mechanical degradation during repeated bending. We further introduce engineered polymeric interlayers to improve adhesion and mechanical durability under bending.

Beyond the single-layer design, this study lays the foundation for future improvements, including the stacked multilayer architectures. These advances aim to increase power output density while maintaining manufacturability through roll-to-roll-compatible techniques.