Highly Stretchable Carbon Nanotubes/Polymer Thermoelectric\nFibers

Abstract

Thermoelectric (TE) technology provides\na new way to directly harvest\nand convert the heat continuously released from the human body. The\ngreatest challenge for TE materials applied in wearable TE generators\nis compatible with the constantly changing morphology of the human\nbody while offering a continuous and stable power output. Here, a\nstretchable carboxylic single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-based\nTE fiber is prepared by an improved wet-spinning method. The stable\nSeebeck coefficient of the annealed carboxylic SWNT-based TE fiber\nis 44 μV/K even under the tensile strain of ∼30%. Experimental\nresults show that the fiber can continue to generate constant TE potential\nwhen it is changed to various shapes. The new stretchable TE fiber\nhas a larger Seebeck coefficient and more stretchability than existing\nTE fibers based on the Seebeck effect, opening a path to using the\ntechnology for a variety of practical applications.