Specialists of the National Research Technological University "MISiS" as part of an international group of scientists have created a thermoelectric polymer material based on nanotubes, which can be used to manufacture charging bracelets that convert the heat of the human body into electrical energy. This was reported on Thursday by the press service of NITU "MISiS".

Thermoelectric materials include chemical compounds or metal alloys that can convert heat into electricity. The existing thermoelectrics based on alloys have a low efficiency (about 10%) and a number of drawbacks - for maximum efficiency, the heating temperature of the plate should reach several hundred degrees. As an alternative, scientists consider polymeric materials that can work at room temperature, due to their flexibility, they can be given any shape, they are non-toxic and have low thermal conductivity, which prevents losses during energy conversion. The authors of the study created a polymer material based on elongated and orderly arranged nanotubes, which in the future may be the basis of wristbands that charge the phone, transforming the heat of the human body into electricity.

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