The over-reliance on conventional fossil fuels, coupled with the relentless increase in environmental issues, has necessitated a paradigm shift towards sustainable and stable energy sources. Thermoelectric (TE) materials offer an appealing option to alleviate energy burdens and environmental pollution, as they can convert waste heat into electricity. In particular, the organic polymer thermoelectric materials have witnessed a rapid development because of their light weight, nontoxicity, and cost-effectivity. Besides, polymers/carbon nanofillers are fascinating as the combination of both may cause a high TE performance and desired mechanical performance. Up to now, extensive reviews have been reported on TE performance enhancement, but there remains a scarcity of comprehensive reviews on the mechanical performance that is essential for practical TE applications. Herein, this review simply presented the fundamental TE parameters and discussed the energy-filtering and interfacial ordering effects that were relevant to the TE enhancements, facilitating the understanding of TE materials with a specific mechanical requirement. Afterwards, the desired mechanical performances of the TE materials were systematically summarized, with a focus on flexibility, stretchability, compressibility, and mechanical robustness, among which the stretchability is particularly highlighted. Subsequently, the emerging TE applications based on a specific mechanical performance and another performance were described. Finally, the challenges and some tentative suggestions are proposed, possibly guiding future developments and paving the way for a bright future of this emerging field.
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