Supporting information

"Large Power Factor Improvement in a Novel Solid-liquid Thermoelectric

Hybrid Device"

Lourdes Márquez-García1, Braulio Beltrán-Pitarch1, Damian Powell2, Gao Min2 and

Jorge García-Cañadas1,*

1
Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Design, Universitat Jaume I,

Campus del Riu Sec, 12071 Castellón, Spain

2
School of Engineering, Cardiff University, The Parade, CF24 3AA Cardiff, UK

Corresponding author: Jorge García-Cañadas

*Email: garciaj@uji.es

S-1
1. Additional experimental details

All the employed glass substrates were cleaned by sonication in distilled water with

soap for 15 min. Then, they were rinsed with distilled water and further sonicated for 15

min in isopropanol. Finally, they were rinsed with isopropanol and dried in air.

The holes carried out on the top glass were performed using a driller with a diamond

bur (Komet Diamond 835 314 010 X5). Due to the high hardness of the glass, it was

immersed in water while short and consecutive drilling applications were performed.

For the injection of the electrolyte the sealed device was placed in a small vacuum

desiccator (Aldrich, Ref. Z225096) and a small electrolyte drop was placed on top of the

top glass hole. Then, the desiccator is evacuated, which produces the extraction of air

from the interior of the device and bubbles are observed to come out through the

electrolyte drop. Once the air is extracted, the vacuum is removed producing the

pressure increase, which pushes the electrolyte inside the device.

S-2
2. Experimental Voc-∆T and I-V curves for the device 1-Li

Figure S1. (a) Open-circuit voltage vs temperature difference and (b) voltage vs current

curves employed for the determination of the Seebeck coefficient and electric resistance

in the device 1-Li from Table 1, respectively, which corresponds to the 1 M LiBF4 in 3-

MPN electrolyte. Results are shown for devices without electrolyte and with electrolyte

(cycles 1 to 3). Lines correspond to the linear fit.

S-3
3. Experimental Voc-∆T and I-V curves for the device 1-I

Figure S2. (a) Open-circuit voltage vs temperature difference and (b) voltage vs current

curves employed for the determination of the Seebeck coefficient and electric resistance

in the device 1-I from Table 2, respectively, which corresponds to BMII ionic liquid

electrolyte. Results are shown for devices without electrolyte and with electrolyte

(cycles 1 to 3). Lines correspond to the linear fit.

S-4
4. Experimental evidence of intercalation phenomena

Figure S3 shows the impedance spectroscopy results from a Sb:SnO2 film immersed

in a 1M LiBF4 solution in 3-methoxypropionitrile. Measurements were performed in a

3-electrode electrochemical cell at room temperature and at 36 ºC, which is a

temperature value similar to the ones reached at the hot side of the device when a 6 ºC

temperature difference is applied. A Ag/AgCl reference electrode and a graphite sheet

were employed as reference and counter electrodes, respectively. Impedance

measurements were obtained at the open circuit potential using a 10 mV ac amplitude in

the 50 mHz -50 kHz frequency range. A PGSTAT204 potentiostat (Metrohm Autolab)

equipped with a FRA32M impedance analizer module was used.

Figure S3. Impedance spectra at the open-circuit voltage of a Sb:SnO2 film immersed

in a 1M LiBF4 solution in 3-MPN at (a) room and (b) 36 ºC temperature.

Results in Figure S3 shows the typical pattern obtained when intercalation of Li+ ions

in a solid film takes place.1 The distorted semicircle at high frequencies (lower left part)

S-5
represents the parallel combination of the electrical double layer capacitance (screening

of the negative charge in the solid by Li ions in solution) with a resistance related to the

transfer of Li ions from the solution into the solid lattice. The rest of the impedance

response (vertical rise) relates to the diffusion of the ions inside the lattice and its

accumulation.

References

(1) Fabregat-Santiago, F.; Garcia-Belmonte, G.; Bisquert, J.; Ferriols, N. S.; Bueno,

P. R.; Longo, E.; Antón, J. S.; Castro-Garcı́a, S. Dynamic Processes in the

Coloration of WO3 by Lithium Insertion. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2001, 148, E302.

S-6