Abstract: Incorporating functional fillers into the cement-based material can enable them to obtain the thermoelectric effect of converting thermal energy into electrical energy, which can be used in energy harvesting, concrete structure health monitoring and intelligent transportation system. This paper summarizes the thermoelectric effect mechanism, functional fillers, fabrication process and engineering application of thermoelectric cement-based composites (TECC). Particularly, this paper mainly focuses on the enhancement effect and mechanism of different functional fillers on the thermoelectric effect of TECC, as well as the effect of dispersion degree of functional filler, moisture, fatigue load, temperature cycle and other factors on the thermoelectric effect of TECC. This review points out the new research direction of TECC in theory and application, which will guide the experimental design and performance improvement of the thermoelectric effect of cement-based composites.