Preparation of high‐performance bismuthene thermoelectric composites doped with graphene using UV‐curing 3D printing technology

Abstract

AbstractThermoelectric materials are of tremendous interest due to their capacity to convert waste heat into useful electrical energy. Bismuthene nanosheets (BiNS) have recently emerged as a promising material for thermoelectric applications because of their unique two‐dimensional structure and low thermal conductivity. However, the development of efficient and scalable methods for preparing BiNS‐based thermoelectric composites with improved performance remains a challenge. In this study, we reported a novel approach to preparing a thin film BiNS‐based thermoelectric composite with UV‐curing 3D printing technology. The composite was prepared using BiNS as the filler and a UV‐sensitive resin as the matrix, which contained 5 vol% graphene as the third phase to enhance the thermoelectric performance of the composite. The results showed that the prepared composite exhibited stable thermoelectric performance, with a maximum power factor of 311.79 ± 13.90 μW/mK2 when the volume fraction of BiNS reached 95 vol%. The electrical conductivity of the composite improved significantly as the volume fraction of BiNS increased from 75 to 95 vol%. The Seebeck coefficient remained essentially unchanged in the range of 70.1–70.7 μV/K. These findings demonstrate the potential of BiNS‐based thermoelectric composites prepared by UV‐curing 3D printing technology for practical applications in energy harvesting and cooling devices.Highlights A simple, efficient and scalable method for BiNS thermoelectric composites. UV‐curing 3D printing technology was used for fabrication. The BiNS composite exhibited stable thermoelectric performance. The electrical conductivity of the composite improved significantly. This BiNS composite showed great potential in thermoelectric application.