Simultaneous power generation and cooling using semiconductor-sensitized thermal cells

TL;DR

This paper introduces semiconductor-sensitized thermal cells that simultaneously generate electricity from ambient heat and provide cooling, demonstrating scalable, sustained thermal management through energy-balance principles.

Contribution

It presents a novel printable device architecture enabling concurrent power generation and cooling, with nonlinear enhancement effects observed in integrated systems.

Findings

Devices generate up to 0.2 mW at 40-55°C

Periodic operation achieves ~1°C cooling

Parallel integration enhances cooling without increasing power output

Abstract

This manuscript reports a semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell (STC) that converts ambient heat into electrical power while simultaneously reducing its own temperature under isothermal conditions. Using a printable semiconductor--electrolyte architecture, we fabricate $4\,\mathrm{cm} \times 4\,\mathrm{cm}$ devices that generate up to approximately $0.2\,\mathrm{mW}$ at temperatures of $40$--$55\,^\circ\mathrm{C}$. During continuous discharge, the STC exhibits a transient temperature decrease followed by thermal equilibration with the environment. In contrast, periodic on--off discharge produces sustained cooling of approximately $1\,^\circ\mathrm{C}$ relative to a non-discharging reference. Notably, parallel integration of four STCs yields a nonlinear enhancement of cooling (approximately $5\,^\circ\mathrm{C}$) without a corresponding increase in electrical output. The observed behavior can be understood within a macroscopic energy-balance framework, in which time modulation of electrochemical heat consumption prevents the establishment of thermal steady state. These results demonstrate sustained isothermal cooling induced by heat-to-electricity conversion at practical device scales, and highlight semiconductor-sensitized thermal cells as a platform for coupled energy harvesting and thermal management.