Optimal design of thermoelectric generator with vertically aligned PEDOT:PSS thermoelements

Abstract

Estimating the performance of an optimally designed thermoelectric generator is essential for energy harvesting applications. This paper presents a numerical simulation of a thermoelectric generator consisting of vertically aligned p-type poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):poly (styrene sulfonate) films and n-type aluminum wire-based thermoelements, using finite element analysis. It also determines the optimal length of the thermoelements to achieve the highest temperature gradient with the lowest internal resistance, resulting in improved thermoelectric generator output performance. The thermoelectric generator with five pairs of thermoelements produces a maximum open-circuit voltage of 3.22 mV at a temperature gradient of 50 °C. Following that, the generator provides a maximum output power of 2.54 µW and a power density of 394 nWcm-2, at a temperature gradient of 50 °C. The proposed design concept could result in a better temperature gradient as well as improved output performance.