Flexible thermoelectric generators can directly convert low-grade thermal energy available in daily life into electricity, offering a promising power-supply strategy for next-generation wearable electronics.
A research team from Tianjin University, Fujian University of Technology, and Fuzhou University has developed high-performance flexible thermoelectric generators based on Bi2Te3/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)@paper composite films. This work was published in Nano Research on July 7, 2026. A central challenge for flexible thermoelectric devices is how to simultaneously achieve high energy conversion performance, mechanical flexibility, and stable output under repeated deformation. Conventional inorganic thermoelectric materials generally exhibit favorable thermoelectric properties; however, their inherent rigidity and brittleness make them difficult to integrate effectively with curved, soft, and dynamically moving human-body surfaces. Existing flexible thermoelectric generators also commonly suffer from inefficient heat collection, limited output power, and unstable electrical performance during bending.
To address these challenges, the research team fabricated Bi2Te3
