Advances in solid-state and flexible thermoelectric coolers for battery thermal management systems

Battery thermal management systems (BTMS) play a crucial role in various fields such as electric vehicles and mobile devices, as their performance directly affects the safety, stability, and lifespan of the equipment. Thermoelectric coolers (TECs), utilizing the thermoelectric effect for temperature regulation and cooling, offer unique advantages for BTMS. Compared to traditional cooling techniques, TEC-based BTMS provides precise temperature control, which allows customized adjustment of temperatures in different areas, meeting the strict thermal management demands in various fields. This offers more reliable and efficient thermal management solutions for applications in electric vehicles and mobile devices. Furthermore, flexible TECs can provide more efficient thermal management for flexible batteries. This article timely and extensively explores several solid-state and flexible TEC-based BTMS technologies, including combinations with air cooling, liquid cooling, phase-change cooling, heat pipe cooling, and various cooling composite techniques. Battery heat generation models and the analysis process of TEC-based BTMS are first discussed. An objective evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of various TEC-based BTMS approaches is provided, along with discussions on reasonable solutions and future development trends, aiming to provide a reference for designing optimal BTMS. In the end, we point out that it is crucial to select appropriate cooling technologies according to user requirements and to combine multiple cooling technologies for meeting thermal management needs in different application scenarios.