3D-printed lattice structures for thermoelectric devices – A review

Abstract

Energy harvesting technologies are becoming increasingly important due to the growing energy demand. Waste heat is a form of energy that remains largely unexploited and could be utilized by thermoelectric devices. Thermoelectric generators have the ability to convert heat into electricity. Traditionally, thermoelectric generators consist of thermoelectric legs with bulk structures, whose fabrication includes multiple steps. Additive manufacturing techniques, which are popularly known as 3D-printing, have the potential to simplify these time-consuming and cost-intensive fabrication processes, while providing flexibility in design and reducing waste material. The freedom of design that 3D-printing techniques provide, allows new architectures, like lattice structures, to be investigated as legs in thermoelectric devices. Lattice structures could assist in the decoupling of competing thermoelectric properties of the materials. The aim of this paper is to review the application of 3D-printed lattice structures in thermoelectric devices and to highlight the advantages of lattice architectures for improving the performance of thermoelectric devices.