This ultra-thin film will power your gadgets with body heat
Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia have developed a flexible thermal film that promises to revolutionize the field of wearable devices and cooling solutions. This ultra-thin film is capable of transforming body heat into electricity, paving the way for a new generation of autonomous and potentially battery-free wearable devices. This innovation could also offer cooling solutions for electronic chips in smartphones and computers, marking a significant advance in a constantly evolving field.
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The evolution of flexible thermal devices
Flexible thermal devices, capable of convert temperature differences into electricityhave long been sought after for their potential in portable electronics. However, their large-scale development has been hampered by challenges such as limited flexibility, complex manufacturing processes, high costs and insufficient performance. Professor Zhi-Gang Chen and his team addressed these challenges by developing a technology cost-effective to produce flexible thermal films using nanocrystals to form a uniform layer of bismuth telluride sheets, improving both efficiency and flexibility.
Innovative manufacturing technology
The team method integrates solvothermal synthesisscreen printing and sintering techniques, enabling the large-scale production of these films. Solvothermal synthesis generates nanocrystals under high temperature and pressurewhile screen printing facilitates film production, and sintering fuses the particles at temperatures near the melting point, solidifying the structure.
Potential for diversification of materials
This approach not limited to thermals based on bismuth telluride. It could also be applied to other systems, such as silver selenide thermals, offering potentially cheaper and more sustainable alternatives.
Vast and promising applications
The developed flexible thermal devices can be worn comfortably on the skin, converting the temperature difference between the body and the ambient air in electricity. Beyond wearable electronics, these films could be integrated into textiles to create self-sustaining heated clothing, ideal for cold environments.
Industrial and medical implications
In the automotive industry, these devices could be integrated into vehicles to power distance sensors without battery for autonomous driving, by exploiting the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the car. In the medical field, they could power implantable medical devices or enable continuous monitoring of body temperature, providing valuable data for health monitoring.
Thermal management and energy harvesting
On a larger scale, these devices have the potential to capture waste heat from infrastructure, generating electricity from previously untapped heat sources, contributing to more energy-efficient buildings and industrial processes.
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This article explores a major advancement in flexible thermal device technology, which promises to not only revolutionize wearable electronics, but also provide innovative solutions for thermal management and energy harvesting across various sectors.
Source : QUT
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