Thermoelectric conversion directly converts heat into electricity and offers a sustainable, solid-state pathway for energy harvesting, holding particular promise for next-generation wearable electronics. Beyond conventional thin-film and bulk configurations, the advent of fiber-shaped thermoelectric materials has opened new horizons by combining flexibility, breathability, and seamless textile compatibility. These merits make thermoelectric fibers particularly attractive for constructing distributed, body-conformal, and self-sustaining electronic systems. Herein, recent progress in inorganic, organic, and hybrid thermoelectric fibers is systematically reviewed, with particular emphasis on materials design, scalable fabrication strategies, and device engineering. Subsequently, their integration into wearable systems is elaborated, encompassing diverse applications in personalized healthcare and human–machine interfaces. Finally, we critically discuss the key challenges, including performance enhancement, long-term durability, and seamless system-level integration. This discussion aims to provide insights and guidance for advancing thermoelectric fibers toward intelligent, sustainable, and fully autonomous wearable technologies.

Thermoreceptive electronic skins face fundamental limitations due to signal ambiguity caused by the contact-area effect in thermoelectric devices. Since electrical output depends on total heat flux, localized high-temperature stimuli generate indistinguishable signals from widespread low-temperature stimuli, leading to unreliable thermal hazard assessment. To address this challenge, we developed a dual-modality bilayer e-skin integrating a single-walled carbon nanotube-based thermoelectric layer and an aggregation-induced emission luminogen-based photoluminescent layer. The bottom thermoelectric layer functions as a fast-response nociceptor, converting temperature gradients into voltage-encoded "pain" signals. The top AIE layer provides contact-area-independent optical mapping of thermal fields through photoluminescence quenching, enabling direct visual decoupling of temperature from contact area without computational processing. This integrated platform achieves real-time injury visualization, accurate temperature recognition (>97% accuracy), and reliable nociceptive-like sensing. Validated by a biomimetic robotic reflex system, the e-skin offers a robust solution for intelligent safety protection and enhanced human-machine interaction in dynamic thermal environments.

Precise control over the microstructure is pivotal for optimizing the thermoelectric performance of conjugated polymers; however, conventional approaches are often constrained by laborious and complex processing techniques, such as directional alignment. Inspired by nucleating agent technologies in the traditional polymer industry, we herein propose a molecular engineering strategy employing 2,5-diiodothiophene (DIT) as a structure-directing agent for poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT). Due to the structural similarity between DIT and the PBTTT backbone, DIT acts as a structure-directing agent that facilitates crystal growth and enhance long-range ordering. Furthermore, a synergistic annealing-doping treatment was adopted to further elevate the thermoelectric performance of the films. Results demonstrate that the incorporation of merely 1 wt% DIT significantly promotes the formation of larger-sized crystalline domains in PBTTT. Benefiting from this optimized semicrystalline network, the FeCl3-doped PBTTT/DIT films exhibit more efficient doped-state charge transport. Consequently, the PBTTT/DIT films achieve a power factor of 65.9 ± 4.8 μW m−1 K−2, representing a 501.5% enhancement compared to pristine PBTTT. This work provides new insights for the development of high-performance thermoelectric materials and next-generation polymer electronics.

Flexible inorganic thermoelectrics are promising for the Internet of Things and wearable electronics. While solution processing offers a facile route to such materials, simultaneously achieving mechanical flexibility and substantial power output remains challenging. Here, we report a microstructure-engineering strategy to fabricate freestanding Ag1.8Se/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite films with ultralow CNT content (0.9 wt %). An interwoven CNT network establishes dense, conductive interfaces with Ag1.8Se nanowires, enabling efficient carrier transport and exceptional flexibility. The ∼10-μm films achieve a power factor of 20.9 μW cm−1 K−2 at 380 K and retain >95% of their performance after 20,000 bending cycles at a 2-mm radius. An assembled flexible device delivers an output power of 15.4 μW and a normalized power density of 4.63 μW cm−1 K−2 under a 50 K temperature gradient. Integrated with biodegradable supports, the devices demonstrate recyclability and enable sap flow monitoring. This facile and sustainable approach is generalizable to other systems such as Bi2Te3 and Cu2Se.

The increasing global electricity demand underscores the urgent need for clean energy solutions. Thermoelectric materials, capable of converting waste heat into electricity, present a promising avenue. However, their efficiency is often compromised by intermittent heat sources. To address this, we propose a radial thermo-actuated thermoelectric/phase-change system inspired by the energy-conserving mechanism of the sun starfish’s wrist foot. This design employs shape memory alloy to optimize heat source utilization. The device autonomously opens to sustain a temperature gradient during sufficient heat supply and closes to minimize heat dissipation when the source is inadequate. Notably, the closed-state delays the hot-end temperature drop by 1700 s, significantly reducing energy loss. Further integration with a photothermal-enhanced phase change material yields an all-day self-powered thermoelectric system. Daytime operation achieves a maximum temperature difference of 28.64 °C and an output voltage of 14.89 mV, while nighttime performance maintains an average temperature difference of 6.21 °C, ensuring stable heat supply. Our work introduces a scalable strategy for sustainable power generation in outdoor environments.

Sulfur, based on the positive-valence conversion, is promising for constructing high-voltage and high-energy zinc batteries (ZBs) due to its multi-electron transfer process. However, the redox conversion of multivalent S in ZBs is still limited and suffers from low active materials utilization and large charge/discharge polarization with poor reversibility. This study presents significant progress, for the first time, on the catalytic S0/S4+ redox behavior based on the interchalcogen effect in ZBs using single-atom selenium (SA-Se), which greatly facilitates electronic conductivity and improves ion diffusion behavior. Notably, up to 1.52 V and 1.37 V discharge plateaus with an impressive discharge capacity up to 587 mAh g−1 is achieved in Zn‖S batteries. Furthermore, benefiting from the enhanced absorption of soluble products based on the interchalcogen effect, the high-voltage Zn‖S battery exhibits remarkable conversion dynamics, excellent cycling performance, high energy density, and superior areal capacity. This catalytic strategy of positive-valence conversion of sulfur based on the interchalcogen effect represents a significant advancement in constructing future high-voltage sulfur-based batteries.

Thermoelectric (TE) materials, owing to their capability of direct heat-to-electricity interconversions, hold great potential in constructing smart buildings. However, reports on their integration into smart buildings remain scarce. In this work, we prepared biobased composite TE films. Their excellent photothermal conversion capability facilitates efficient absorption of solar energy and conversion into heat, establishing a large and stable temperature gradient, thereby synergistically achieving higher TE performance. Inspired by the unique overlapping and interlocking design of tiles in typical Chinese and oriental ancient architectures, where the curved tile surface enhances solar capture and the formed porous structures ensures efficient heat sink, we ingeniously designed and fabricated tile-shaped TE devices. Benefiting from the film’s photothermal effect, the prepared devices achieve a large temperature difference of nearly 60 K under solar irradiation. A device consisting of 20 TE legs generates an output voltage of 60 mV and a maximum output power of 11.9 µW, demonstrating excellent building-integrated TE energy harvesting performance. Furthermore, the TE system exhibits rapid fire warning capability, thereby providing fire protection for buildings. This work not only opens a novel avenue for achieving simultaneous harvesting of solar energy and self-powered fire warning, but also provides pioneering insights into green smart buildings and the protection of ancient architectures and cultural relics.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) exhibits significant limitations in both processing and performance due to its intrinsic thermal instability. To address this challenge, a novel trimesic acid intercalated Ca-Mg-Al-La layered double hydroxide (CMAL-TMA-LDH) was prepared as a highly efficient PVC stabilizer. The CMAL-TMA-LDH was characterized by FT-IR, TGA, Raman, XRD, and SEM. The analysis results confirmed that the deprotonated trimesate anions effectively intercalated within the CMAL-TMA-LDH framework, leading to an increase in the interlayer spacing. CMAL-TMA-LDH demonstrated excellent thermal stabilization properties when utilized as a PVC stabilizer. Congo Red tests indicated that the CMAL-TMA-LDH/PVC composite demonstrated a static thermal stability of 71 min, significantly exceeding the 26 min observed for the ZnSt2-3CaSt2/PVC sheet. Moreover, the CMAL-TMA-LDH/PVC composite not only delayed the onset of weight loss but also reduced the dehydrochlorination rate, thereby enhancing long-term color retention. The effective thermal stabilization is attributed to a dual Cl− capture mechanism of CMAL-TMA-LDH, involving both interlayer anion exchange within the interlayer spaces and the utilization of surface metal absorption sites. These positive results suggest that CMAL-TMA-LDH represents a promising candidate for an efficient and sustainable PVC stabilizer. Novel trimesic acid-intercalated CMAL-TMA-LDH was developed as PVC stabilizer. CMAL-TMA-LDH/PVC composites showed good dispersion and excellent thermal stability. CMAL-TMA-LDH captures Cl from degrading PVC via metal sites and expanded spacing.

As a special type of Sun Synchronous Orbit, the Dawn/Dusk orbit has a constant local solar time at the ascending and descending nodes, i.e., sunrise and sunset. This special feature ensures that the space environment in orbit does not change with the local solar time. In order to ensure the stable operation of satellite missions in this orbit, this article explores the characteristics of atmospheric density and wind fields in this type of orbit based on the APOD and GOCE missions. Three distinct comparative dimensions are employed: comparisons of orbital altitude, dawn-dusk orbital differences, and asymmetries between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. By separating the data into ascending and descending orbits, and averaging them to daily and different latitudes, it is concluded that atmospheric density and wind fields exhibit year-round variations. The atmospheric density is larger in the summer hemisphere, and the hemispheric asymmetry is also more pronounced. With increasing latitude or altitude, the density discrepancy between dawn and dusk orbits gradually narrows and tends to converge. As for wind fields, the GOCE measured data is compared with the simulated data in the APOD orbit by the HWM model, because of the lack of wind field in the APOD mission. The most significant difference between dawn and dusk orbits lies in the zonal direction, with wind speeds of similar magnitudes but completely opposite directions. A possible physical interpretation is proposed for the meridional winds in polar regions and the zonal winds in low latitudes, and its plausibility is assessed through order-of-magnitude estimates. Hemispheric asymmetry is finally compared, where that of zonal winds is also pronounced in the summer hemisphere and maximized at mid-latitudes.

The blooming of wearable electronics necessitates flexible, reliable energy harvesters capable of powering devices using ubiquitous low-grade body heat. While thermocells (TECs) manifest high potential in harnessing such small temperature gradients, their deployment is limited by the mechanical fragility of conventional gel electrolytes and insufficient thermopower for practical applications. Herein, we overcome these barriers through synergistic solvent-network engineering by developing a deep eutectic solvent (DES)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based gel electrolyte. This gel electrolyte is achieved by replacing water in freeze-thawed PVA hydrogels with a DES/[Fe(CN)6]3-/4- mixture, where the introduced DES liberates polymer chains from water-induced constraints, driving molecular rearrangement into a denser, highly crystalline network with intensified hydrogen bonding, yielding a 30-fold increase in tensile strength (7.17 MPa) and high compressive strength (8.99 MPa). Concurrently, the DES asymmetrically solvates the [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- redox couple, dramatically increasing the solvation entropy difference and boosting the thermopower to 1.68 mV K-1. The gel electrolyte also exhibits low thermal conductivity and sufficient ionic conductivity, beneficial for efficient heat harvesting. A scalable, flexible 12-unit TEC module is further demonstrated, showcasing high robustness and practical usability for wearable energy autonomy. (c) 2026 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as promising devices for low-frequency ocean energy harvesting. However, their deep-sea applications still remain a great challenge, because the high hydrostatic pressure in deep sea results in reduced efficiency in collecting water current energy or even damage of the TENG structures. Here, we propose a Sea Urchin-structured TENG (SU-TENG), specifically designed to harness the energy from ultraslow water currents in deep-sea conditions. An innovative oil-layer-exchange structure has been internally created to ensure the effectively operation for the SU-TENG under high hydrostatic pressure. By leveraging the existing flow-induced vibration (FIV) and the von Karman vortex effect, the vibration amplitude of the device is enhanced, and the energy from ultraslow water currents is captured. Additionally, a BaTiO3/PDMS/MWCNT flexible composite thin film, characterized by a high dielectric constant, surface charge density and excellent flexibility, has been developed as the friction layer to ensure reliable electrical energy output in deep-sea environment. To simulate the 1000 to 3000-meter deep-sea condition, the device is compressed under hydrostatic pressures from 10 to 30 MPa, and the TENG performance remains unaffected by high hydrostatic pressure, being sufficient to charge underwater thermometers and power commercial LED lights. This research underscores the potential of SU-TENG for energy harvesting in deep-sea, high-pressure, ultraslow water current environment, thereby providing energy for deep-sea equipment and systems.

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.

Vanadium-based oxides are promising cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) but face challenges in simultaneously achieving high capacity, structural stability, and rate capability. In this study, we propose a facile strategy incorporating Al3+ intercalation into V10O24 & sdot;nH2O, generating a vanadium-oxygen framework engineered with rich oxygen vacancies and vanadium defects (Od-AlVOH). Through comprehensive experimental studies and theoretical simulations, we demonstrate that the substantial positive charge density of Al3+ fosters strong electrostatic interactions, stabilizing the crystal framework and suppressing phase transformations during cycling. Simultaneously, the synergistic integration of oxygen vacancies and Al3+-induced vanadium defects markedly improves electrochemical kinetics by providing additional Zn2+ storage sites, reducing electrostatic repulsion, enhancing electrical conductivity, and lowering the Zn2+ diffusion energy barrier. Consequently, the as-prepared Od-AlVOH cathode delivers a high capacity of 354.9 mAh g- 1 at 0.2 A g-1, exceptional rate capability (retaining 176.4 mAh g- 1 at 10 A g-1), and remarkable cycling stability (82.7% capacity retention after 8000 cycles), surpassing most vanadium-based cathodes reported previously. This work elucidates a rational crystal structure-engineering approach for developing high-performance AZIBs cathodes.

Organic thermoelectric (TE) materials incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) attract substantial research interest due to their flexibility, cost‐effectiveness, and processability, showing significant promise for wearable TE devices. However, their practical applications are greatly limited by the low Seebeck coefficient ( S ) and high thermal conductivity ( κ ). To overcome these challenges, in this study, black phosphorus@MXene heterojunctions are rationally engineered into CNT matrix, creating TE composite film. This unique “2D heterojunction‐3D network” architecture leverages synergistic energy filtering and interfacial phonon scattering to achieve decoupled optimization of electrical conductivity ( σ ), S and κ . Consequently, the composite film attains a high power factor of 521.4 ± 7.7 µW m −1 K −2 at room temperature with a significantly suppressed κ , yielding a figure of merit of 0.0211. These metrics represent a substantial enhancement over pristine CNTs. Furthermore, the film exhibits excellent flexibility and structural stability, contributing to a flexible TE generator prototype with a high power density of 584 µW cm −2 under a temperature gradient of 60 K. This work provides a viable pathway for high‐performance, flexible TE materials in self‐powered wearable electronics for health monitoring and thermal management.

Thermoelectric(TE)materials can effectively achieve direct energy interconversions between heat and electrical energy(See-beck,Peltier,and Thomson effects),showing wide applications in harvesting waste or low-grade heat,local cooling and sensing[1].In recent decade,organic conducting or conjugated polymers(CPs)(including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT),polyaniline(PANI)and polypyrrole(PPy)),conjugated small mole-cules,and their composites(with carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and Te nanowires,etc.)have witnessed explosive progress with excellent TE performance[2].

Tribo-Electric Nano-Generators (TENGs) have been proved as an effective solution to scavenge mechanical energies of tiny disturbances, but the specific design for ultraslow water currents is lacking. In this work, a novel Underwater High-performance Flag-shaped TENG (UHF-TENG) is developed to effectively harvest water current energy with a wider velocity range, especially for the ultraslow ones. It utilizes high dielectric constant composite films of BaTiO3/PVDF, which exhibit the ultrafast self-polarization effect in electric field, to ensure its excellent electrical output performance in ultraslow water current. The PFPE oil is infused between the triboelectric pairs to prevent from the electrostatic breakdown and further improve the outputs. Results show that the UHF-TENG can even capture the energy of ultraslow water current with a velocity of 0.02 m/s to generate a 44.5 +/- 5.3 V open-circuit voltage and a 3.2 +/- 0.7 mu A short-circuit current. This improvement is attributed to the well-designed flag shape of the TENG, self-polarizing effect of the composite film and rational utilization of the von Karman vortex effect. The developed UHF-TENG is capable to efficiently harvest energy in water current with various velocities and environmental conditions, making it particularly valuable for energy scavenging in ultraslow water current.

Silicone foam materials have attracted considerable interest in both academic and industrial fields owing to their non-petroleum source, wide temperature flexibility, chemical resistance, environmental stability, and electrical insulation. A recent increasing trend is to develop multifunctional silicone polymer foams and their composite materials for multiple emerging applications. However, an incisive and comparative overview of such an advanced silicone foam system is still lacking. This review reports a detailed summary of recent research progress on advanced silicone polymer foam composites for emerging applications. Besides, this review will systematically review and discuss various fabrication strategies, including physical templating, chemical foaming, and mixed foaming methods, and their structural features. Subsequently, physical and chemical properties of density, hydrophobicity, electrical conductivity, and flame retardancy, as well as mechanical properties, are compared and analyzed to better understand their structure-property interrelationships. Finally, the foams’ emerging applications based on evaluating some typical examples are also discussed. Overall, this review illustrates that silicone polymer foam composites are promising as one of the next-generation advanced polymer foam composite materials with a cost-effective fabrication process, superior hydrophobicity, environmental reliability, and new functionalities.

Intelligent fire‐warning materials and sensors have gained considerable attention due to their excellent passive flame resistance and sensitive active fire‐alarm behaviors. However, current nanofiller‐based fire‐warning composites (e.g., MXene, graphene) still face limitations, including intrinsic dark feature, poor structural reliability, and unstable fire‐warning response, hindering their broad use in decorative applications. Herein, a novel MXene derivative‐based bilayered composite nanocoating on wooden substrates with translucent features, exceptional flame resistance, and sensitive fire‐warning response is reported. MXene oxide porous nanoparticles are synthesized by a facile and simple oxidation of MXene and show unexpected network structure and semitransparent feature. Utilizing double‐layer structure and designed cross‐linked interface, the final nanocoatings applied onto the wooden substrates display good mechanical property and tunable optical transparency. Further, such double‐layer design guarantees excellent fire resistance performance through the formation of a compact C/N/P‐dopped TiO2 network during combustion. More interestingly, the resulting composite nanocoatings also display a rapid fire‐responsiveness (≈2.9 s), extended alarm duration (>300 s), and high repeated fire‐alarm capacity (>30 cycles) even after 1 year outdoors. In this work, a novel strategy is provided for designing intelligent semitransparent, fire‐retardant, and fire‐warning coatings for fire safety of wooden architecture.

Thermoelectric (TE) materials, being capable of converting waste heat into electricity, are pivotal for sustainable energy solutions. Among emerging TE materials, organic TE materials, particularly conjugated polymers, are gaining prominence due to their unique combination of mechanical flexibility, environmental compatibility, and solution-processable fabrication. A notable candidate in this field is poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT), a liquid-crystalline conjugated polymer, with high charge carrier mobility and adaptability to melt-processing techniques. Recent advancements have propelled PBTTT’s figure of merit from below 0.1 to a remarkable 1.28 at 368 K, showcasing its potential for practical applications. This review systematically examines strategies to enhance PBTTT’s TE performance through doping (solution, vapor, and anion exchange doping), composite engineering, and aggregation state controlling. Recent key breakthroughs include ion exchange doping for stable charge modulation, multi-heterojunction architectures reducing thermal conductivity, and proton-coupled electron transfer doping for precise Fermi-level tuning. Despite great progress, challenges still persist in enhancing TE conversion efficiency, balancing or decoupling electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity, and leveraging melt-processing scalability of PBTTT. By bridging fundamental insights with applied research, this work provides a roadmap for advancing PBTTT-based TE materials toward efficient energy harvesting and wearable electronics.