Research progress of Micro-Nano thermoelectric fibers fabricated by template methods

The escalating demand for carbon-neutral energy systems has spurred intensive research on high-performance thermoelectric (TE) materials, which enable direct and pollutant-free conversion of thermal-to-electrical energy. Unlike fossil fuel-based power generation, TE devices produce no greenhouse gases or toxic byproducts during operation, making them ideal for sustainable energy harvesting. Among various TE materials, micronanoscale flexible TE fibers combine the high performance of bulk TEs with structural flexibility, opening up broad application prospects in energy conversion, cooling, temperature sensing, thermal management, and imaging. Templateassisted methods have proven effective for fabricating diverse highperformance TE fibers. This review systematically summarizes three mainstream template-assisted methods for TE fiber preparation: thermal drawing, template-assisted chemical deposition, and electrospinning. We further compare the key properties and practical applications of TE fibers fabricated via different routes. Finally, critical challenges and future directions for template-assisted fabrication of high-performance flexible TE fibers are highlighted.