Erratum published on 11 March 2020, see
Designs 2020, 4(1), 8.
The Design of a Thermoelectric Generator and Its Medical Applications
1
Centre for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117587, Singapore
2
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Surface Technology group, ASTAR, Fusionopolis way 2, Innovis, Singapore 138634, Singapore
3
Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE), National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Drive, Singapore 117456, Singapore
4
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Designs 2019, 3(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/designs3020022
Received: 21 March 2019
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Revised: 23 April 2019
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Accepted: 23 April 2019
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Published: 26 April 2019
Growing energy demands are driving people to generate power in every possible way. New energy sources are needed to plug the energy gap. There is a growing interest in distributed energy generation due to its remarkable advantages such as flexibility, reliability, adaptability and minimal transmission losses. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are one such distributed power source that relies on thermal energy for electricity generation. The current review focusses on the design and optimization of TEGs to maximize the power output from the available thermal sources. The basic principle of thermoelectricity generation and suitable architecture for specific applications are explained with an overview of materials and manufacturing processes. Various cooling techniques to dissipate heat from the cold side and their influence on overall efficiency are reviewed in this work. Applications of TEGs for powering biomedical sensors have been discussed in detail. Recent advancements in TEGs for various implantable devices and their power requirements are evaluated. The exploitation of TEGs to generate power for wearable sensors has been presented, along with published experimental data. It is envisioned that this study will provide profound knowledge on TEG design for specific applications, which will be helpful for future endeavours.
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Keywords:
thermoelectric; generator; Peltier; cooling; heating; thermal management; wearable; sensor; body heat; implantable
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kumar, P.M.; Jagadeesh Babu, V.; Subramanian, A.; Bandla, A.; Thakor, N.; Ramakrishna, S.; Wei, H. The Design of a Thermoelectric Generator and Its Medical Applications. Designs 2019, 3, 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/designs3020022
AMA Style
Kumar PM, Jagadeesh Babu V, Subramanian A, Bandla A, Thakor N, Ramakrishna S, Wei H. The Design of a Thermoelectric Generator and Its Medical Applications. Designs. 2019; 3(2):22. https://doi.org/10.3390/designs3020022
Chicago/Turabian StyleKumar, Palanisamy Mohan, Veluru Jagadeesh Babu, Arjun Subramanian, Aishwarya Bandla, Nitish Thakor, Seeram Ramakrishna, and He Wei. 2019. "The Design of a Thermoelectric Generator and Its Medical Applications" Designs 3, no. 2: 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/designs3020022
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