Copper–cobalt thermoelectric generators: power improvement through optimized thickness and sandwiched planar structure
In this paper, metallic thermoelectric generators were studied and fabricated using copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) as their respective positive and negative thermoelements. Thus, the chosen Cu-clad polyimide substrate alleviated the deposition of Cu and eased the microfabrication. A lateral device...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
IEEE
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/76283/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76283/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76283/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76283/7/76283%20Copper%E2%80%93Cobalt%20Thermoelectric%20Generators.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/76283/8/76283%20Copper%E2%80%93Cobalt%20Thermoelectric%20Generators%20SCOPUS.pdf |
| Summary: | In this paper, metallic thermoelectric generators
were studied and fabricated using copper (Cu) and
cobalt (Co) as their respective positive and negative thermoelements.
Thus, the chosen Cu-clad polyimide substrate
alleviated the deposition of Cu and eased the microfabrication.
A lateral device structure might assist in generating
larger output power through its longer thermoleg length.
Hence, the fabricated thick-film devices had planar and lateral
structures with lateral heat flow and lateral thermopile
layout. The strong correlations of electrical and thermal
conductivities in metal thermoelements have resulted in
lower Seebeck coefficient along with reduced thermoelectric
power-generating performances. Alternatively, a thermoleg
cross-sectional area (A) optimization approach may
optimize these disrupting correlations and improve their
power-generating effectiveness,whereas a sandwichedplanar
structure can allow more thermopiles to be integrated
without influencing the generator’s size. Both A optimization
and sandwiched planar structure have rarely been
applied and studied in the past works and have never
been implemented using metal thermoelements. Hereafter,
a Cu–Co device was enhanced through A optimization by
increasing the thickness of Co over 3.86 times the Cu
thickness, and the implementations of a sandwiched planar
structure. Herein, a flexible sandwiched planar thermoelectric
generatorwas fabricated for the first time, using simpler
microfabrication. This enhancedCu–Co generator achieved
a thermoelectric efficiency factor of 6.6×10−3 μWcm−2K−2
(12.89 μWcm−2) at a temperature difference of 44.2 K.
It remarked 3.1 times of improvement (by stacking three sets of thermopile) than its similar single Cu–Co thermopile of
ten thermocouples. |
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