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Exploring new near-room-temperature thermoelectric materials is significant for replacing current high-cost Bi 2 Te 3 . This study highlights the potential of Ag 2 Se for wearable thermoelectric electronics, addressing the trade-off between performance and flexibility. A record-high ZT of 1.27 at 363 K is achieved in Ag 2 Se-based thin films with 3.2 at.% Te doping on Se sites, realized by a new concept of doping-induced orientation engineering. We reveal that Te-doping enhances film uniformity and (00 l )-orientation and in turn carrier mobility by reducing the (00 l ) formation energy, confirmed by solid computational and experimental evidence. The doping simultaneously widens the bandgap, resulting in improved Seebeck coefficients and high power factors, and introduces Te Se point defects to effectively reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. A protective organic-polymer-based composite layer enhances film flexibility, and a rationally designed flexible thermoelectric device achieves an output power density of 1.5 mW cm −2 for wearable power generation under a 20 K temperature difference. Flexible Ag 2 Se possesses promising near-room-temperature thermoelectric performance, while trade-off in thermoelectric performance and flexibility enhances its practical utility. Here, the authors fabricate polycrystalline Ag 2 Se-based thin film with a high ZT of 1.27 at 363 K by Te doping.

Tin selenide (SnSe) is one of the most promising candidates to realize environmentally friendly, cost‐effective, and high‐performance thermoelectrics, derived from its outstanding electrical transport properties by appropriate bandgaps and intrinsic low lattice thermal conductivity from its anharmonic layered structure. Advanced aqueous synthesis possesses various unique advantages including convenient morphology control, exceptional high doping solubility, and distinctive vacancy engineering. Considering that there is an urgent demand for a comprehensive survey on the aqueous synthesis technique applied to thermoelectric SnSe, herein, a thorough overview of aqueous synthesis, characterization, and thermoelectric performance in SnSe is provided. New insights into the aqueous synthesis‐based strategies for improving the performance are provided, including vacancy synergy, crystallization design, solubility breakthrough, and local lattice imperfection engineering, and an attempt to build the inherent links between the aqueous synthesis‐induced structural characteristics and the excellent thermoelectric performance is presented. Furthermore, the significant advantages and potentials of an aqueous synthesis route for fabricating SnSe‐based 2D thermoelectric generators, including nanorods, nanobelts, and nanosheets, are also discussed. Finally, the controversy, strategy, and outlook toward future enhancement of SnSe‐based thermoelectric materials are also provided. This Review guides the design of thermoelectric SnSe with high performance and provides new perspectives as a reference for other thermoelectric systems. Herein, aqueous‐solution‐based synthesis, characterizations, and thermoelectric performance in SnSe thermoelectrics are thoroughly reviewed by providing new insights including vacancy synergy, crystallization design, doping limit breakthrough, local lattice imperfection engineering, and a promising flexible thermoelectric generator based on appropriate synthesis design.

Wearable thermoelectric devices, capable of converting body heat into electrical energy, provide the potential driving power for the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and soft robotics. However, critical parameters have long been overlooked for these practical applications. Here, we report a three-dimensional flexible thermoelectric device with a structure featuring an inner rigid and outer flexible woven design. Such a structure includes numerous small static air pockets that create a stable out-of-plane temperature difference, enabling precise temperature signal detection (accuracy up to 0.02 K). Particularly, this structure exhibits excellent multi-signal decoupling capability, excellent elasticity (>10,000 compression cycles), ultra-fast compression response (20 ms), stable output signal under 50% compressive strain, high breathability (1300 mm s −1 ), and washability. All these metrics achieve the highest values currently reported, fully meeting the requirements for body heat and moisture exchange, as demonstrated in our designed integrated smart mask and smart glove systems based on vector machine learning technology. This work shows that our three-dimensional flexible thermoelectric device has broad applicability in wearable electronics. Wearable thermoelectric devices are promising, though fabricating a breathable, sensitive, and washable devices has been a challenge. This report shows a woven thermoelectric fabric, incorporating rigid and flexible layers, for smart wearable devices.

Increasing numbers of studies have shown that tumor cells prefer fermentative glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation to provide a vast amount of energy for fast proliferation even under oxygen‐sufficient conditions. This metabolic alteration not only favors tumor cell progression and metastasis but also increases lactate accumulation in solid tumors. In addition to serving as a byproduct of glycolytic tumor cells, lactate also plays a central role in the construction of acidic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, resulting in therapeutic tolerance. Recently, targeted drug delivery and inherent therapeutic properties of nanomaterials have attracted great attention, and research on modulating lactate metabolism based on nanomaterials to enhance antitumor therapy has exploded. In this review, the advanced tumor therapy strategies based on nanomaterials that interfere with lactate metabolism are discussed, including inhibiting lactate anabolism, promoting lactate catabolism, and disrupting the “lactate shuttle”. Furthermore, recent advances in combining lactate metabolism modulation with other therapies, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, and reactive oxygen species‐related therapies, etc., which have achieved cooperatively enhanced therapeutic outcomes, are summarized. Finally, foreseeable challenges and prospective developments are also reviewed for the future development of this field. Lactate has long been overlooked in tumors, confined to the roles of a glycolysis waste product and a biomarker of malignancy. With in‐depth research, lactate has recently been recognized as an important factor in tumor progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent progress in nanomaterial‐mediated lactate metabolism modulation for oncotherapy.

Flexible Bi2Te3‐based thermoelectric devices can function as power generators for powering wearable electronics or chip‐sensors for internet‐of‐things. However, the unsatisfied performance of n‐type Bi2Te3 flexible thin films significantly limits their wide application. In this study, a novel thermal diffusion method is employed to fabricate n‐type Te‐embedded Bi2Te3 flexible thin films on flexible polyimide substrates, where Te embeddings can be achieved by tuning the thermal diffusion temperature and correspondingly result in an energy filtering effect at the Bi2Te3/Te interfaces. The energy filtering effect can lead to a high Seebeck coefficient ≈160 µV K−1 as well as high carrier mobility of ≈200 cm2 V−1 s−1 at room‐temperature. Consequently, an ultrahigh room‐temperature power factor of 14.65 µW cm−1 K−2 can be observed in the Te‐embedded Bi2Te3 flexible thin films prepared at the diffusion temperature of 623 K. A thermoelectric sensor is also assembled through integrating the n‐type Bi2Te3 flexible thin films with p‐type Sb2Te3 counterparts, which can fast reflect finger‐touch status and demonstrate the applicability of as‐prepared Te‐embedded Bi2Te3 flexible thin films. This study indicates that the thermal diffusion method is an effective way to fabricate high‐performance and applicable flexible Te‐embedded Bi2Te3‐based thin films. In this study, flexible n‐type Bi2Te3‐based thin‐films are successfully prepared through facile thermal diffusion method and further induce Te/Bi2Te3 heterojunctions and energy filtering effect at the Te/Bi2Te3 interfaces to optimize the thermoelectric performance through tuning the diffusion temperature.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)-based thermoelectric materials, valued for their flexibility, lightweight, and cost-effectiveness, show promise for wearable thermoelectric devices. However, their thermoelectric performance requires significant enhancement for practical applications. To achieve this goal, in this work, we introduce rational “triple treatments” to improve the overall performance of flexible SWCNT-based films, achieving a high power factor of 20.29 µW cm −1  K −2 at room temperature. Ultrasonic dispersion enhances the conductivity, NaBH 4 treatment reduces defects and enhances the Seebeck coefficient, and cold pressing significantly densifies the SWCNT films while preserving the high Seebeck coefficient. Also, bending tests confirm structural stability and exceptional flexibility, and a six-legged flexible device demonstrates a maximum power density of 2996 μW cm −2 at a 40 K temperature difference, showing great application potential. This advancement positions SWCNT films as promising flexible thermoelectric materials, providing insights into high-performance carbon-based thermoelectrics. Authors introduce triple treatments to advance flexible single-walled carbon nanotube films, achieving a power factor of 20.29 µW cm −1  K −2 . High structural stability and flexibility enable the fabrication of a high-power-density flexible device.

Flexible thermoelectric materials and devices hold enormous potential for wearable electronics but are hindered by inadequate material properties and inefficient assembly techniques, leading to suboptimal performance. Herein, we developed a flexible thermoelectric film, comprising Ag 2 Se nanowires as the primary material, a nylon membrane as a flexible scaffold, and reduced graphene oxide as a conductive network, achieving a record-high room-temperature ZT of 1.28. Hot-pressed Ag 2 Se nanowires exhibited strong (013) orientation, enhancing carrier mobility and electrical conductivity. Dispersed reduced graphene oxide further boosts electrical conductivity and induces an energy-filtering effect, decoupling electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient to achieve an impressive power factor of 37 μW cm −1  K −2 at 300 K. The high-intensity between Ag 2 Se and reduced graphene oxide interfaces enhance phonon scattering, effectively reducing thermal conductivity to below 0.9 W m −1  K −1 and enabling the high ZT value. The nylon membrane endowed the film with exceptional flexibility. A large-scale out-of-plane device with 100 pairs of thermoelectric legs, assembled from these films, delivers an ultrahigh normalized power density of >9.8 μW cm −2  K −2 , outperforming all reported Ag 2 Se-based flexible devices. When applied to the human body, the device generated sufficient power to operate a thermo-hygrometer and a wristwatch, demonstrating its practical potential for wearable electronics. The authors report a flexible thermoelectric film, comprising Ag 2 Se and reduced graphene oxide, achieving a power factor of 37 μW cm −1  K −2 in the film and a normalized power density of over 9.8 μW cm −2  K −2 in the out-of-plane device.

Te-free thermoelectrics have garnered significant interest due to their immense thermoelectric potential and low cost. However, most Te-free thermoelectrics have relatively low performance because of the strong electrical and thermal transport conflicts and unsatisfactory compatibility of interfaces between device materials. Here, we develop lattice defect engineering through Cu doping to realize a record-high figure of merit of ~1.9 in n-type polycrystalline PbSe. Detailed micro/nanostructural characterizations and first-principles calculations demonstrate that Cu-induced interstitial defects and nanoprecipitates simultaneously optimize electron and phonon transport properties. Moreover, a robust Co/PbSe interface is designed to effectively prevent chemical reactions/diffusion; this interface exhibited a low electrical contact resistivity of ~10.9 μΩ cm 2 , excellent durability, and good stability in the thermoelectric module, which achieves a record-high conversion efficiency of 13.1% at a temperature difference of 460 K in segmented thermoelectric modules. This study lays the groundwork for advancing the development of Te-free selenide-based thermoelectric materials. The authors develop lattice defect engineering through Cu doping to realize a high figure of merit in n-type polycrystalline PbSe, finding that Cu induced interstitial defects and nanoprecipitates simultaneously optimize electron and phonon transport properties.

Ag 2 Se shows significant potential for near-room-temperature thermoelectric applications, but its performance and device design are still evolving. In this work, we design a novel flexible Ag 2 Se thin-film-based thermoelectric device with optimized electrode materials and structure, achieving a high output power density of over 65 W m −2 and a normalized power density up to 3.68 μW cm −2 K −2 at a temperature difference of 42 K. By fine-tuning vapor selenization time, we strengthen the (013) orientation and carrier mobility of Ag 2 Se films, reducing excessive Ag interstitials and achieving a power factor of over 29 μW cm −1 K −2 at 393 K. A protective layer boosts flexibility of the thin film, retaining 90% performance after 1000 bends at 60°. Coupled with p-type Sb 2 Te 3 thin films and rational simulations, the device shows rapid human motion response and precise servo motor control, highlighting the potential of high-performance Ag 2 Se thin films in advanced applications. The authors design a flexible Ag 2 Se-based thermoelectric device with optimized electrode materials, structure, and selenization time, capable of various applications including rapid response to human motion signals as electronic skin.

P-type Fe 3 CoSb 12 -based skutterudite thin films are successfully fabricated, exhibiting high thermoelectric performance, stability, and flexibility at medium-to-high temperatures, based on preparing custom target materials and employing advanced pulsed laser deposition techniques to address the bonding challenge between the thin films and high-temperature flexible polyimide substrates. Through the optimization of fabrication processing and nominal doping concentration of Ce, the thin films show a power factor of >100 μW m −1 K −2 and a ZT close to 0.6 at 653 K. After >2000 bending cycle tests at a radius of 4 mm, only a 6 % change in resistivity can be observed. Additionally, the assembled p-type Fe 3 CoSb 12 -based flexible device exhibits a power density of 135.7 µW cm −2 under a temperature difference of 100 K with the hot side at 623 K. This work fills a gap in the realization of flexible thermoelectric devices in the medium-to-high-temperature range and holds significant practical application value. The authors fabricate p-type Fe 3 CoSb 12 -based skutterudite films exhibiting high thermoelectric performance, stability, and flexibility at medium-to-high temperatures, based on preparing custom target materials and pulsed laser deposition techniques.