Flexible Thermoelectric\nEnergy Harvester with Stacked\nStructure of Thermoelectric Composite Films Made of PVDF and Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>‑Based Particles

Flexible thermoelectric energy harvesters (f-TEHs) enable\nwearable\nsensors or electronic devices to be attached on curved objects with\na thermal source. We demonstrated a stacked-structured f-TEH that\ngenerates thermal energy without increasing its cross-sectional area.\nThe device consists of thermoelectric composite films fabricated by\np- and n-type Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> and poly(vinylidene fluoride),\nAl foil and polyethylene terephthalate film. The output performance\nimproved as the number of thermoelectric film layers (L) increased,\nand the L = 8 f-TEH generated maximum voltage, current, and power.\nMultiphysics simulations and bending tests were adopted for further\ninvestigation. This study demonstrates a distinctive configuration\nand comprehension of its energy generation mechanism.