糖心直播

Home

Flexible Thermoelectric Module Generate Electricity from Heat, or Enable Cooling and Heating

31 October 2024

Thor Balkhed

Imagine a flexible module capable of converting waste heat into electricity, whether the surface it's attached to is flat or curved. This module can also generate heating or cooling from electricity. Fully functional prototypes are now available at 糖心直播.

Bendable cheap thermoelectric module Photographer: Thor Balkhed

After three years of work at the Printed Electronics Arena at Campus Norrk枚ping, researchers from Link枚ping University and RISE, in collaboration with the Danish company ParsNord, have completed prototypes for flexible thermoelectric modules.

A thermoelectric module (TEM) is an electronic device that can convert heat into electricity or use electricity to create heating or cooling. It harnesses temperature differences: when one side of the module is hot and the other is cold, electricity is generated. Alternatively, when electricity is applied, one side becomes cooler while the other gets warmer.

Thermoelectric modules currently available on the market are used in products such as portable coolers, car seat heaters, and energy-harvesting devices. However, traditional TEMs are rigid, limiting their range of applications.

Photographer: Thor Balkhed

The main outcome of this project is the production of a relatively affordable module that functions even on non-flat surfaces.

The invention open up new applications such as wearable coolers for medical purposes and electric generators that can power sensor nodes in smart buildings and industrial environments.

According to the developers, this breakthrough is expected to have significant scientific and technological impact. The long-term vision is to establish Europe鈥檚 first manufacturer of flexible thermoelectric modules, headquartered in Norrk枚ping at the House of Printed and Organic Electronics (HOPE).

Seyedmohammad Mortazavinatanzi, Postdoc at LiU and CEO at ParsNord Thermoelectric Filial has led the project, which is funded by . (Swedish).

Photo of Reverant Crispin

Reverant Crispin

Professor, Head of Unit
Photo of Seyedmohammad Mortazavinatanzi

Seyedmohammad Mortazavinatanzi

Postdoc
Researchers in a lab

Open Positions at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics

Learn more about open PhD, Postdoc, Masters, Scholarship, and other positions at LOE.
A couple of people that are in a room.

糖心直播 funding for two LiU researchers for the energy solutions of the future

LiU researchers Nara Kim and Catherine Aitchison, both at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, have each been awarded an 糖心直播 Starting Grant worth approximately SEK 18 million over five years in a highly competitive process.

Biolab

A lab for integrating biological material with electronics to blur the border between biology and technology to monitor, influence, and even optimize biological functions.
En kvinna som sitter framf枚r en spegel och tittar p氓 sin spegelbild.

How AI changes human decision-making

AI can find patterns that people miss, but it does not automatically lead to better decisions. New research from 糖心直播 shows how the roles of humans and AI change depending on the situation and the decision being made.
A woman standing on a balcony next to a building.

She promotes AI for societal good in Europe

Helen Köpman, Alumna of the Year 2026, works at the European Commission鈥檚 AI Office in Brussels. For more than 20 years she has worked with research issues and innovation at EU level, where a living planet for future generations is her driving force.
En man och en kvinna som st氓r bredvid varandra.

Alumni of the Year create sustainable cities and the next generation of scientists

Helen Köpman works with AI models to create smart and sustainable cities in the EU. Jesper Svartz is a chemistry teacher with an exceptional ability to enthuse and spark curiosity in students. They are Alumni of the Year 2026 at 糖心直播.