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Tang et al. Soft Sci. 2025, 5, 11 Soft Science
DOI: 10.20517/ss.2024.62

Review Article Open Access

Recent progress of biosensors based on

thermoelectric effects for monitoring physical
activity and environment monitoring

1,2
1,3
Xinyuan Tang , Cai Qi , Qiang Sun 1,3,*
1
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases,
West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
2
Pittsburgh Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
3
Sichuan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan, China.
*
Correspondence to: Prof. Qiang Sun, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical
Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, 14, 3rd section, Renmin South Road,
Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China. E-mail: qiangsun@scu.edu.cn
How to cite this article: Tang, X.; Qi, C.; Sun, Q. Recent progress of biosensors based on thermoelectric effects for monitoring
physical activity and environment monitoring. Soft Sci. 2025, 5, 11. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2024.62

Received: 1 Nov 2024 First Decision: 25 Nov 2024 Revised: 16 Dec 2024 Accepted: 27 Dec 2024 Published: 13 Feb 2025
Academic Editors: Renkun Chen, Huanyu Cheng Copy Editor: Ting-Ting Hu Production Editor: Ting-Ting Hu

Abstract
Thermoelectric (TE) materials and sensors have emerged as a frontier in health and environmental monitoring,
offering a silent, simple, and reliable alternative to traditional power generation methods by harnessing waste heat
into usable electrical energy. They also offer superior stability and longevity, making them ideal for long-term
monitoring applications. Furthermore, when compared to other self-powered biosensors, TE sensors excel in their
ability to operate in a wide range of temperatures and environmental conditions, providing a more reliable and
consistent power source for sensor operation. This review delves into the recent advancements in TE-based
sensors, highlighting their multifunctional capabilities in real-time health monitoring and environmental sensing.
We explore the fundamental principles of TE conversion, including the Seebeck effect, and assess the performance
metric, specifically the figure-of-merit (ZT). The integration of TE materials with flexible and wearable electronics
is discussed, emphasizing flexible materials for their high efficiency and mechanical robustness. Applications in
self-powered wearable devices and internet of things (IoT)-integrated environmental monitoring systems are
underscored, particularly in fire detection and personal health monitoring. Challenges in material limitations,
miniaturization, and scalability are addressed, with a focus on future research directions to enhance the
sustainability and longevity of TE sensors. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the development of
TE sensor technology and its future trajectory, emphasizing the importance of ongoing research to address current
challenges and realize the capabilities of these innovative devices.

Keywords: Thermoelectric sensors, health monitoring, environmental sensing, wearable technology, energy
harvesting, internet of things (IoT)

© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

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