Titania-Half Metal Composites As High-Temperature Thermoelectric Materials
OwnerMonika Backhaus-Ricoultinventor
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Abstract
A multiphase thermoelectric material includes a titania-based semiconducting phase and a half-metal conducting phase. The multiphase thermoelectric material is advantageously a nanocomposite material wherein the constituent phases are uniformly distributed and have crystallite sizes ranging from about 10 nm to 800 nm. The titania-based semiconducting phase can be a mixture of sub-stoichiometric phases of titanium oxide that has been partially reduced by the half-metal conducting phase. Methods of forming a multiphase thermoelectric material are also disclosed.
Claims33
A multiphase thermoelectric material comprising:
- a titania-based semiconducting phase;
- and
- a half-metal conducting phase.
A method of making a multiphase thermoelectric material, said method comprising:
- combining a powder of a titania-based material and a powder of a half-metal material to form a mixture;
- and
- densifying the mixture to form a multiphase thermoelectric material.
A method of making a multiphase thermoelectric material, comprising:
- forming a composite powder having a core of a first material and an outer shell of a second material by heating a powder of the first material under conditions effective to form a second material on an outer-surface portion thereof;
- and
- identifying the composite powder to form a multiphase thermoelectric material, wherein the first material and the second material are different and are selected from the group consisting of a titania-based semiconducting material and a half-metal conducting material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.