Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells
Abstract Wearable thermocells offer a sustainable energy solution for wearable electronics but are hindered by poor fatigue resistance, low fracture energy, and thermal inefficiencies. In this study, we present a high-strength, fatigue-resistant thermocell with enhanced thermoelectric performance th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57233-7 |
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| author | Lili Liu Ding Zhang Peijia Bai Yanjie Fang Jiaqi Guo Qi Li Rujun Ma |
| author_facet | Lili Liu Ding Zhang Peijia Bai Yanjie Fang Jiaqi Guo Qi Li Rujun Ma |
| author_sort | Lili Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Wearable thermocells offer a sustainable energy solution for wearable electronics but are hindered by poor fatigue resistance, low fracture energy, and thermal inefficiencies. In this study, we present a high-strength, fatigue-resistant thermocell with enhanced thermoelectric performance through solvent exchange-assisted annealing and chaotropic effect-enhanced thermoelectric properties. The mechanical strength and toughness are improved by forming macromolecular crystal domains and entangling polymer chains. Guanidine ions, with strong chaotropic properties, optimize the solvation layer of redox ion couple, boosting thermoelectric efficiency. Compared to existing anti-fatigue thermocells, the current design exhibits a 20-fold increase in mechanical toughness (368 kJ m-2) and a 3-fold increase in Seebeck coefficient (5.4 mV K-1). With an ultimate tensile strength of 12 MPa, a fatigue threshold of 4.1 kJ m-2, and a specific output power density of 714 μW m-2 K-2, this thermocell outperforms existing designs, enabling more reliable and efficient wearable electronics and stretchable devices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-577c55e587e842c885ac0d5c5b55c40a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-577c55e587e842c885ac0d5c5b55c40a2025-08-20T03:04:07ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-02-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-57233-7Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocellsLili Liu0Ding Zhang1Peijia Bai2Yanjie Fang3Jiaqi Guo4Qi Li5Rujun Ma6School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai UniversityAbstract Wearable thermocells offer a sustainable energy solution for wearable electronics but are hindered by poor fatigue resistance, low fracture energy, and thermal inefficiencies. In this study, we present a high-strength, fatigue-resistant thermocell with enhanced thermoelectric performance through solvent exchange-assisted annealing and chaotropic effect-enhanced thermoelectric properties. The mechanical strength and toughness are improved by forming macromolecular crystal domains and entangling polymer chains. Guanidine ions, with strong chaotropic properties, optimize the solvation layer of redox ion couple, boosting thermoelectric efficiency. Compared to existing anti-fatigue thermocells, the current design exhibits a 20-fold increase in mechanical toughness (368 kJ m-2) and a 3-fold increase in Seebeck coefficient (5.4 mV K-1). With an ultimate tensile strength of 12 MPa, a fatigue threshold of 4.1 kJ m-2, and a specific output power density of 714 μW m-2 K-2, this thermocell outperforms existing designs, enabling more reliable and efficient wearable electronics and stretchable devices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57233-7 |
| spellingShingle | Lili Liu Ding Zhang Peijia Bai Yanjie Fang Jiaqi Guo Qi Li Rujun Ma Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells Nature Communications |
| title | Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells |
| title_full | Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells |
| title_fullStr | Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells |
| title_short | Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells |
| title_sort | fatigue resistant and super tough thermocells |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57233-7 |
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