Irregular hierarchical-porous polymer for high-performance soft thermoelectrics

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zhang, Xiao; Wang, Dongyang; Liu, Liyao; Li, Zhiyi; Ji, Zhen; Zhang, Xuefeng; Xu, Chunlin; Yan, Chaoyi; Wang, Min; Di, Yuqiu; Niu, Lixin; Zhan, Zepang; Zhao, Yue; Dai, Xiaojuan; Guan, Yong; Guan, Bo; Li, Cheng; Zou, Ye; Wang, Dong; Zhang, Fengjiao; Zhang, Deqing; Zhu, Daoben; Di, Chong-an
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Institute of Geology & Paleontology, CAS; Institute of Chemistry, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Tsinghua University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Science & Technology of China, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Chemistry, CAS; Sun Yat Sen University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adx9237
• 发表日期: 2026-03-05
• 关键词: ENHANCED THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY; mechanical-properties; FLEXIBLE THERMOELECTRICS; boron-nitride; thin-films; silicon; figure; merit; optimization; graphene

摘要

Polymer thermoelectrics offer an inherently soft, cost-effective, and lightweight solution to convert ubiquitous heat sources into sustainable electricity. However, their realistic applications are hindered by insufficient performance and the scaling complexity. We introduce irregular hierarchical-porous thermoelectric polymers, featuring irregularly shaped and distributed pores with diameters that range from less than 10 nanometers to micrometers. This porous structure not only enhances multiple phonon-like scattering, achieving a 72% reduction in lattice thermal conductivity, but also unexpectedly improves charge transport through nanoconfinement-enhanced crystallization. The optimized film yields a benchmark figure-of-merit zT of 1.64 at 343 kelvin. Moreover, this method is compatible with easy-to-process spray-coating techniques.