New organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy at room temperature
可在室温下收集能量的新型有机热电装置

Thermoelectric devices, or thermoelectric generators, are a series of energy-generating materials that can convert heat into electricity so long as there is a temperature gradient -- where one side of the device is hot and the other side is cool.
热电设备或热电发电机是一系列产生能量的材料，只要存在温度梯度（设备一侧是热的，另一侧是冷的），就可以将热量转化为电能。

Such devices have been a significant focus of research and development for their potential utility in harvesting waste heat from other energy-generating methods.
此类设备因其在收集其他能源产生方法的废热方面的潜在用途而成为研发的重要重点。

Perhaps the most well-known use of thermoelectric generators is in space probes such as the Mars Curiosity rover or the Voyager probe.
也许热电发电机最著名的用途是在太空探测器中，例如火星好奇号探测器或旅行者号探测器。

These machines are powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators, where the heat generated from radioactive isotopes provides the temperature gradient for the thermoelectric devices to power their instruments.
这些机器由放射性同位素热电发电机提供动力，其中放射性同位素产生的热量为热电设备提供温度梯度，为其仪器提供动力。

However, due to issues including high production cost, use of hazardous materials, low energy efficiency, and the necessity of relatively high temperatures, thermoelectric devices remain underutilized today.
然而，由于生产成本高、使用有害材料、能源效率低以及相对高温的必要性等问题，热电器件今天仍未得到充分利用。

"We were investigating ways to make a thermoelectric device that could harvest energy from ambient temperature. Our lab focuses on the utility and application of organic compounds, and many organic compounds have unique properties where they can easily transfer energy between each other." explains Professor Chihaya Adachi of Kyushu University's Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) who led the study.
“我们正在研究制造一种可以从环境温度收集能量的热电装置的方法。我们的实验室专注于有机化合物的用途和应用，许多有机化合物具有独特的特性，它们可以轻松地在彼此之间传递能量，“领导这项研究的九州大学有机光子学和电子研究中心 （OPERA） 的 Chihaya Adachi 教授解释说。

"A good example of the power of organic compounds can be found in OLEDs or organic solar cells."
“有机化合物力量的一个很好的例子可以在 OLED 或有机太阳能电池中找到。”

The key was to find compounds that work well as charge transfer interfaces, meaning that they can easily transfer electrons between each other.
关键是找到能够很好地作为电荷转移界面的化合物，这意味着它们可以轻松地在彼此之间转移电子。

After testing various materials, the team found two viable compounds: copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and copper hexadecafluoro phthalocyanine (F₁₆CuPc).
在测试了各种材料后，该团队发现了两种可行的化合物：酞菁铜 （CuPc） 和十六氟酞菁铜 （F₁₆CuPc）。

"To improve the thermoelectric property of this new interface, we also incorporated fullerenes and BCP," continues Adachi.
“为了改善这种新界面的热电性能，我们还加入了富勒烯和 BCP，”Adachi 继续说道。

"These are known to be good facilitators of electron transport. Adding these compounds together significantly enhanced the device's power. In the end, we had an optimized device with a 180 nm layer of CuPc, 320 nm of F₁₆CuPc, 20 nm of fullerene, and 20 nm of BCP."
“众所周知，这些是电子传输的良好促进剂。将这些化合物添加在一起可显著提高器件的功率。最后，我们得到了一个优化的器件，具有 180 nm 的 CuPc、320 nm 的 F₁₆CuPc、20 nm 的富勒烯和 20 nm 的 BCP。

The optimized device had an open-circuit voltage of 384 mV, a short-circuit current density of 1.1 μA/cm², and a maximum output of 94 nW/cm². Moreover, all these results were achieved at room temperature without the use of a temperature gradient.
优化后的器件具有 384 mV 的开路电压、1.1 μA/cm² 的短路电流密度和 94 nW/cm² 的最大输出。此外，所有这些结果都是在室温下实现的，没有使用温度梯度。

"There have been considerable advances in the development of thermoelectric devices, and our new proposed organic device will certainly help move things forward," concludes Adachi. "We would like to continue working on this new device and see if we can optimize it further with different materials. We can even likely achieve a higher current density if we increase the device's area, which is unusual even for organic materials. It just goes to show that organic materials hold amazing potential."
“热电器件的发展已经取得了长足的进步，我们新提出的有机器件肯定会有助于推动事情向前发展，”足立总结道。“我们想继续研究这种新设备，看看我们是否可以使用不同的材料进一步优化它。如果我们增加器件的面积，我们甚至有可能实现更高的电流密度，这即使对于有机材料来说也是不寻常的。它只是表明有机材料具有惊人的潜力。