A study published in Nature Communications reports a fully printed origami thermoelectric generator (TEG) with record performance. The study involves Cluster Doctoral Researchers Zirui Wang and Muhammad Irfan Khan, Principal Investigators Yolita M. Eggeler and Uli Lemmer, and Cluster Alumnus Dr. Md Mofasser Mallick. The team developed a flexible, printable thermoelectric material and combined it with an origami-inspired device design to efficiently convert low-grade waste heat into electrical power. The fully printed device achieves a record-high power density, delivering about twice the performance of previously reported printed origami TEGs. The results highlight the potential of printed TEGs as practical, maintenance-free power sources for battery-free IoT devices, wearables, and industrial monitoring systems.
© Luo et al., Nature Communications 17, 1259 (2026), CC BY 4.0.