Thermoelectric generator modules based on warp knitted glass fiber-metal hybrid composites

Abstract Thermoelectric generators (TEG) offer the potential to convert waste heat into electricity and thus contribute to reduce CO 2 emissions. The conversion of electrical energy is based on the Seebeck effect of two electrically conductive materials without any mechanical conversion and therefore without wear. The application of conventional TEG modules is limited due to cost-intensive materials and production technology of TEG, and a limited structure design for the integration of Thermoelectric Elements (TE). To address this research challenge, this work presents the development of thermoelectric composite modules based on glass fiber reinforced warp knitted spacer fabrics. In a double needle bed warp knitting machine, glass fibers in warp, weft and pile direction are integrated. The contacting of TE in the form of wires with 45 TE cm −2 were implemented. A TEG module with 20.25 cm 2 in size showed a maximum output power of 2.7 μ W at a temperature difference of 60 K. The Seebeck factor of S = 142 μ V K −1 was determined using this composite TEG with 10 TE strands and nearly 400 thermocouples. A thermoelectric model was developed for the calculation and the modules were characterized. For the first time, thermoelectric composite modules with sufficient structural-mechanical properties in terms of compressive and bending stiffness were realized based on spacer warp knitted fabrics, which can be used for the operation of sensors or small devices.