Thermoelectrics and thermocells for fire warning applications

Zhaofu Ding; Chunyu Du; Wujian Long; Cheng-Fei Cao; Lirong Liang; Long-Cheng Tang; Guangming Chen

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2023.08.057

Thermoelectrics and thermocells for fire warning applications

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2023 Dec 30;68(24):3261-3277. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.08.057. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Authors

Zhaofu Ding¹, Chunyu Du¹, Wujian Long¹, Cheng-Fei Cao², Lirong Liang³, Long-Cheng Tang⁴, Guangming Chen⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Materials Science and Engineering & College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
² Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield 4300, Australia.
³ College of Materials Science and Engineering & College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: lianglirong@szu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China. Electronic address: lctang@hznu.edu.cn.
⁵ College of Materials Science and Engineering & College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: chengm@szu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37722927
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.08.057

Abstract

Historically, fire disasters have killed numerous human lives, and caused tremendous property loss. Fire warning systems play a vital role in predicting fire risks, and are strongly desired to effectively prevent the disaster occurrence and significantly reduce the loss. Among the developed fire warning systems, thermoelectrics (TEs) and thermocells (TECs)-based fire warning materials are extremely important and indispensable in future research, owing to their unique capability of direct conversion between heat and electricity. Here, we present this review of the recent progress of TEs and TECs in fire warning field. Firstly, a brief introduction of existing fire warning systems is provided, including the mechanisms and features of various types. Then, the mechanisms of electronic TE (eTE), ionic TE (iTE) and TEC are elucidated. Next, the basic principles for the material preparation and device fabrication are discussed in their dimension sequence. Subsequently, some important advances or examples of TE fire warnings are highlighted in details. Finally, the challenges and prospects are outlooked.

Keywords: Fire warning; Self-powered; Thermocell; Thermoelectrics.

Publication types

Review