N-Type Silver Selenide Thermoelectric Cotton Thread for Antibacterial and Versatile Textile Electronics

Abstract

Thermoelectric textiles have garnered significant attention in energy harvesting and temperature sensing due to their comfort and reliable long-term power generation capabilities. However, existing thermoelectric textiles rarely realize antibacterial, high output performance, and sensing capabilities simultaneously. Here, we present a facile and scalable method for fabricating n-type silver selenide (Ag₂Se) cotton threads with exceptional antibacterial, high power output, and advanced sensing capabilities. The Ag–Ag₂Se segmented structures are prepared using the segmented selenization method. Subsequently, a thermoelectric textile consisting of 50 pairs of p–n legs is fabricated, which can generate a power density of 500 μW m^–2 at a temperature difference of 30 K, and it can provide an output voltage of 24.7 mV when worn on the arm at room temperature. The textile-based sensor exhibits temperature detection (0.7 K) and a response time (2.49 s). Integrating Ag₂Se cotton threads onto textiles enables the utilization of multipixel touchpads for writing and communication. Additionally, these sensors can be incorporated into gloves to accurately detect the surrounding objects’ temperatures. This thermoelectric cotton thread not only facilitates energy harvesting but also establishes a solid foundation for widespread application in multifunctional textile electronics.