Lots of research on thermoelectric materials (TEs) has focused on improving their thermoelectric (TE) properties to achieve efficient energy conversion. However, the mechanical properties of materials are also the object of concern in practical applications. Nowadays, the field of electronic devices is obviously developing in the direction of flexible electronics, so the research on TEs should also consider the plasticity. Since 2018, it has been discovered that inorganic semiconductor materials have the ability of plastic deformation, giving new possibilities for the development of TEs with plasticity. This paper focuses on the TEs with two-dimensional van der Waals (2D vdW) crystal structures, which have good plasticity but low TE properties. However, these materials have the potential to become excellent materials with TE properties and good plasticity through optimization strategies. In this paper, the latest research progress of 2D vdW TE materials and their applications in electronic devices are reviewed. The plasticity and TE properties of 2D vdW materials with M2X, MX and MX2 structure are summarized, and their plasticity mechanisms are discussed. We also introduce the application of high throughput screening in the discovery of novel 2D vdW plastic materials, and outline the future research work of 2D vdW TE materials.

中文翻译：

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具有塑性的二维范德华热电材料研究进展


对热电材料 （TE） 的大量研究都集中在提高其热电 （TE） 性能以实现高效的能量转换。然而，材料的机械性能也是实际应用中关注的对象。如今，电子器件领域显然正在朝着柔性电子的方向发展，因此对 TE 的研究也应考虑可塑性。自 2018 年以来，人们发现无机半导体材料具有塑性变形能力，为开发具有塑性的 TE 提供了新的可能性。本文重点介绍了具有二维范德华 （2D vdW） 晶体结构的 TE，这些晶体结构具有良好的塑性，但 TE 性能较低。然而，这些材料有可能通过优化策略成为具有 TE 性能和良好塑性的优秀材料。本文综述了二维 vdW TE 材料的最新研究进展及其在电子器件中的应用。总结了具有 M2X、MX 和 MX2 结构的二维 vdW 材料的塑性和 TE 性能，并讨论了它们的塑性机制。我们还介绍了高通量筛选在新型 2D vdW 塑料材料发现中的应用，并概述了 2D vdW TE 材料的未来研究工作。