A Review of Elastomer-Based Flexible Thermoelectric Generators: Material Selection, Fabrication Strategies, and Application Prospects

Flexible thermoelectric generators (FTEGs) are garnering significant attention for their ability to convert low-grade heat into electricity while maintaining mechanical flexibility, making them ideal for wearable electronics and soft robotics. This review outlines recent advances in elastomer-based FTEGs, with a focus on material selection, structural integration, and scalable fabrication. Emphasis is placed on the development of multifunctional elastomers with enhanced thermoelectric performance, the strategies for embedding fillers to maintain mechanical compliance, and the evolution of interfacial and module-level designs. Furthermore, emerging approaches, such as kirigami-inspired architectures, ionic interfaces, and liquid-metal grids, are explored for their role in improving device endurance and energy output. This review concludes by identifying key challenges, including long-term stability, biocompatibility, and sustainable manufacturing. It also proposes future directions that integrate geometry, chemistry, and computational tools to enable the next generation of deployable, eco-friendly FTEGs.