Fully screen-printed thermoelectric generator from PbSe quantum dots

Nanostructure engineering of thermoelectric (TE) materials has resulted in substantial development of TE devices over the last decades. Furthermore, an increasing demand for alternative energy sources that can power small electronic devices, such as sensors, has driven research on TE thin films. Although PbSe is commonly associated with high-temperature TE applications, in this work, the potential of this material near room temperature range is explored as a proof-of-concept. Therefore, a prototype of a fully screen-printed thermoelectric generator (TEG) with six pairs of legs was performed with PbSe quantum dots (QDs) thin films and Ag commercial ink contacts. Highly crystalline, morphologically and chemically uniform PbSe QDs were used to formulate the screen-printable ink. A maximum output power of 0.65 nW for Δ T = 45 K was obtained for PbSe QD-TEG with 2.5 cm leg length. Study of different leg lengths allowed to build a simulation model with COMSOL Multiphysics for PbSe QD-TEGs and confirmed the increase in device performance with increasing leg length. Although PbSe is commonly associated with high-temperature TE applications, in this work, the potential of this material near room temperature range is explored as a proof-of-concept. • Screen-printed six pair legs device from PbSe quantum dots and Ag contacts. • Evaluation of the thermoelectric performance of micrometer-tick thin film device. • Numerical simulation confirmed improved performance for longer device legs. • PbSe quantum dots show potential for near room temperature miniaturized applications.