Nanostructured bulk thermoelectric material
AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund
InventorsMinjuan Zhang, Yunfeng Lu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermoelectric material includes a composite having a first electrically conducting component and second low thermal conductivity component. The first component may include a semiconductor and the second component may include an inorganic oxide. The thermoelectric composite includes a network of the first component having nanoparticles of the second component dispersed in the network.
Claims24
A thermoelectric device, comprising:
- a first electrical contact;
- a second electrical contact;
- and
- a bulk thermoelectric material located within an electrical path between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the bulk thermoelectric material including:
- a first component,
- a second component, the second component having an electrical conductivity substantially less than the first component and a melting temperature greater than the first component,
- the the thermoelectric material including a network of the first component having nanoparticles of the second component dispersed in the network.
7-17. (canceled)
A thermoelectric material comprising:
- a first component,
- a second component, the second component having an electrical conductivity substantially less than the first component and a melting temperature greater than the first component,
- the thermoelectric material forming a bulk thermoelectric material including a network of the first component having nanoparticles of the second component dispersed in the network.
The thermoelectric material of claim is, wherein the first component is a semiconductor, the semiconductor forming an electrically conducting nanostructured network around the second component.
A process of forming a bulk thermoelectric material, the process comprising:
- providing a first component;
- providing a second component;
- mixing the first and second components forming a dispersed mixture;
- sintering the dispersed mixture at a temperature around the melting temperature of the first component forming a thermoelectric material having a network of the first component having nanoparticles of the second component dispersed in the network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.