fig1

Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the fundamental mismatch between laboratory research priorities and industrial manufacturing requirements, motivating screen printing as a scalable interface for thermoelectric device (TED) fabrication. Inset images include: Bi₂Te₃-based crystal structure; Reproduced with permission^[17]. Copyright 2026, Wiley. Phonon transport mechanism; Reproduced with permission^[18]. Copyright 2023, Elsevier. Small-area proof-of-concept devices; Reproduced with permission^[19]. Copyright 2025, Royal Society of Chemistry. Manufacturing yield; Large area/automated production; Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License^[13]. Copyright 2020, Springer Nature. Electronic system integration; Reproduced with permission^[12]. Copyright 2024, Wiley. QL: Quintuple layer; TE: thermoelectric; TEG: thermoelectric generator; SHEP: soft heat transfer and electrical interconnection platform.