Phys.org August 16, 2021
Invisibly small carbon nanotubes aligned as fibers and sewn into fabrics become a thermoelectric generator that can turn heat from the sun or other sources into energy.
An international team of researchers (USA – Rice University, Japan) made custom nanotube fibers and test their potential for large-scale applications. They fabricated a textile thermoelectric generator based on these carbon nanotube fibers, which demonstrated high thermoelectric performance, weavability, and scalability. The power factor they observed make these fibers strong candidates for the emerging field of thermoelectric active cooling, which requires a large thermoelectric power factor and a large thermal conductivity at the same time. According to the researchers with further development, such materials could become building blocks for fiber and textile electronics and energy harvesting. The fibers could also be used as heat sinks to actively cool sensitive electronics with high efficiency…read more. Video Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Carbon nanotubes woven into thread-like fibers and sewn into fabrics become a thermoelectric generator that can turn heat from the sun or other sources into energy. Credit: Jeff Fitlow