Flexible Printed Thermoelectric Cooling Film

The DON26TZ01-NV013 STTR topic seeks to develop flexible, low-cost, and lightweight thermoelectric cooling films using printed organic semiconductors. The primary objective is to create cooling solutions for warfighters and military platforms, with applications ranging from personal wearable devices (e.g., wristbands) to large-area surface cooling. These films must have a bending radius of less than one inch to conform to complex curvatures. The project aims to overcome the limitations of current rigid and heavy inorganic thermoelectric devices by leveraging advancements in organic thermoelectric materials, particularly focusing on developing suitable n-type polymers to complement existing p-type materials like PEDOT. Phase I involves material selection, film processing, characterization, and simple device prototyping, along with modeling novel geometries. Phase II focuses on optimizing materials and designs, creating prototypes for both personal and surface cooling, and developing commercially relevant fabrication processes, including cost analysis. Phase III emphasizes transitioning these technologies to Navy use and identifying dual-use commercial applications for both wearable coolers and large-area films, such as cooling clothing for construction workers or automobile seats.