Scientists at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have discovered a new way to create flexible materials that can turn body heat into electricity.
This breakthrough could lead to wearable devices that don’t need batteries—just the warmth of your skin.
In a study published in Nature Communications, the QUT team developed a special crystal material made from silver, copper, tellurium, selenium, and sulfur.
Known as AgCu(Te,Se,S), this material acts as a thermoelectric semiconductor, which means it can convert heat into electrical energy. What makes this material special is how the researchers improved its performance using a method called “vacancy engineering.”
Vacancy engineering involves adjusting the tiny gaps—called vacancies—where atoms are missing in the crystal’s structure.
These gaps can significantly influence how the material behaves, such as how well it conducts electricity or handles heat. In this case, carefully controlling the atomic vacancies helped the material convert heat into electricity more efficiently while also making it flexible and durable.
Lead author Nanhai Li and his colleagues used a simple and affordable melting process to create the material.
Guided by computer modeling, the team was able to fine-tune the vacancies to boost performance.
Unlike traditional thermoelectric materials, which can be brittle or difficult to shape, this new material remains stretchable and can bend easily—perfect for devices that attach to the body.
To prove how practical the material could be, the researchers created small flexible devices and placed them on a person’s arm.
These prototypes successfully captured heat from the body and turned it into usable electricity. This is especially useful during physical activity when the body generates more heat, creating a stronger temperature difference between skin and air.
Mr. Li noted that thermoelectric materials are gaining interest because they can produce electricity without pollution, noise, or moving parts. The human body is constantly giving off heat, so tapping into that energy source has huge potential—especially for wearable technology.
Professor Zhi-Gang Chen, who co-led the research, explained that most flexible thermoelectric materials today either don’t work well or aren’t flexible enough.
Organic materials tend to perform poorly, while traditional inorganic ones are too rigid. But this new crystal is a rare example of an inorganic material that is both highly efficient and flexible.
In a separate study published in Science, Professor Chen’s team also created an ultra-thin film with similar properties—another step toward wearables powered entirely by body heat.
With this new material, the future of flexible, battery-free electronics is looking brighter—and warmer—than ever.
