Additive manufacturing of thermoelectric materials via fused filament fabrication

Abstract Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a commonly adopted additive manufacturing technique which allows direct assembly of intricate 3D multi-material components at high resolution and low cost. The aim of this research is to explore FFF processes and their unique capabilities in development of highly efficient thermoelectric (TE) energy harvesting material systems. Adapted fused filament fabrication with customized filaments produced samples with ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) polymer matrix and Bi 2 Te 3 as the thermoelectric agent. Mixtures were initially extruded into composite thermoelectric filaments, which were subsequently printed into shapes and sintered in a tube furnace under inert gas environment. Thermoelectric performance characterization of the samples revealed that a maximum figure of merit of 0.54 was achieved at the sintering temperature of 500 °C for room temperature operation. This conversion efficiency was nearly five times higher than those of previously reported additively manufactured thermoelectric materials. The FFF method was therefore proven as a versatile method to fabricate efficient thermoelectric materials in intricate geometries.

[1]  Lidong Chen,et al.  High temperature oxidation behavior of cobalt triantimonide thermoelectric material , 2010 .

[2]  G. J. Snyder,et al.  Thermoelectric property studies on thallium-doped lead telluride prepared by ball milling and hot pressing , 2010 .

[3]  Daoben Zhu,et al.  Inkjet-printed flexible organic thin-film thermoelectric devices based on p- and n-type poly(metal 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate)s/polymer composites through ball-milling , 2014, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[4]  Ilkka Tittonen,et al.  Inkjet Printed Large‐Area Flexible Few‐Layer Graphene Thermoelectrics , 2018 .

[5]  Hasna Abdul Salam,et al.  Biogenic copper oxide nanoparticles synthesis using Tabernaemontana divaricate leaf extract and its antibacterial activity against urinary tract pathogen. , 2014, Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy.

[6]  M. Dresselhaus,et al.  Effect of non-stoichiometry on oxidation processes in n-type PbTe thin films , 2003 .

[7]  Liangliang Li,et al.  Thermoelectric and mechanical properties of PLA/Bi0·5Sb1·5Te3 composite wires used for 3D printing , 2018 .

[8]  S. G. Lyubchenko,et al.  Effect of oxidation on thickness dependencies of thermoelectric properties in PbTe/mica thin films , 2005 .

[9]  X. Crispin,et al.  Optimization of the thermoelectric figure of merit in the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). , 2011, Nature materials.

[10]  M. Pumera,et al.  Exfoliation of Layered Topological Insulators Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 via Electrochemistry. , 2016, ACS nano.

[11]  Martin Pumera,et al.  3D-printing technologies for electrochemical applications. , 2016, Chemical Society reviews.

[12]  Min Ho Lee,et al.  3D printing of shape-conformable thermoelectric materials using all-inorganic Bi2Te3-based inks , 2018 .

[13]  F. Krebs,et al.  Practical evaluation of organic polymer thermoelectrics by large‐area R2R processing on flexible substrates , 2013 .

[14]  Zhiheng Xu,et al.  Screen-printed radial structure micro radioisotope thermoelectric generator , 2018, Applied Energy.

[15]  James W. Evans,et al.  Dispenser-printed planar thick-film thermoelectric energy generators , 2011 .

[16]  G. Kim,et al.  Improvement of thermoelectric properties of screen-printed Bi2Te3 thick film by optimization of the annealing process , 2013 .

[17]  Philippe M. Bardet,et al.  Rapid processing and assembly of semiconductor thermoelectric materials for energy conversion devices , 2016 .

[18]  Qingjie Zhang,et al.  Preparation of n‐type Bi2Te3 thermoelectric materials by non‐contact dispenser printing combined with selective laser melting , 2017 .

[19]  M. Dresselhaus,et al.  Effect of oxidation on the thermoelectric properties of PbTe and PbS epitaxial films , 2001 .

[20]  Steve Beeby,et al.  Flexible screen printed thermoelectric generator with enhanced processes and materials , 2016 .

[21]  C. Satterthwaite,et al.  Electrical and Thermal Properties of Bi 2 Te 3 , 1957 .

[22]  Zhijia Yang,et al.  Comprehensive analysis of thermoelectric generation systems for automotive applications , 2017 .

[23]  M. Smith,et al.  Finite element modelling of the compressive response of lattice structures manufactured using the selective laser melting technique , 2013 .

[24]  L. Froyen,et al.  Selective laser melting of iron-based powder , 2004 .

[25]  S. Said,et al.  A review on thermoelectric renewable energy: Principle parameters that affect their performance , 2014 .

[26]  Dong Wang,et al.  Few-quintuple Bi2Te3 nanofilms as potential thermoelectric materials , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[27]  Biao Wang,et al.  3D Printing Fabrication of Amorphous Thermoelectric Materials with Ultralow Thermal Conductivity. , 2015, Small.

[28]  Qingjie Zhang,et al.  Non-equilibrium synthesis and characterization of n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 thermoelectric material prepared by rapid laser melting and solidification , 2017 .

[29]  M. Plissonnier,et al.  Development of (Bi,Sb)2(Te,Se)3-Based Thermoelectric Modules by a Screen-Printing Process , 2010 .

[30]  C. Uher,et al.  Fabrication and Thermoelectric Properties of n-Type CoSb2.85Te0.15 Using Selective Laser Melting. , 2018, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[31]  M. R. A. Bhuiyan,et al.  A review on bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanostructure for thermoelectric applications , 2018 .

[32]  Joseph Richardson,et al.  High-performance and flexible thermoelectric films by screen printing solution-processed nanoplate crystals , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[33]  S. LeBlanc,et al.  Printed thermoelectric materials and devices: Fabrication techniques, advantages, and challenges , 2017 .

[34]  H. Goldsmid,et al.  Bismuth Telluride and Its Alloys as Materials for Thermoelectric Generation , 2014, Materials.

[35]  G. J. Snyder,et al.  Enhancement of Thermoelectric Efficiency in PbTe by Distortion of the Electronic Density of States , 2008, Science.