US 7,734,428 B2Granted

Method of producing thermoelectric material

AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

InventorsDebasish Banerjee, Minjuan Zhang

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Abstract

A process for determining an optimum range of compositions for a nanocomposite thermoelectric material system is provided. The process is performed for a nanocomposite thermoelectric material system having a first component and a second component made from nanoparticles. The process includes selecting a plurality of material compositions for a nanocomposite thermoelectric material system to be investigated and calculating a thermal conductivity value and calculating an electrical resistance value for each material composition selected. In addition, at least one Seebeck coefficient is determined for the material compositions selected. Then, a plurality of figure of merit values are calculated using the calculated plurality of thermal conductivity values, the calculated plurality of electrical resistivity values and the determined at least one Seebeck coefficient. After the plurality of figure of merit values are calculated, an optimum compositional range can be determined within which the largest ZT values may be exhibited.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A process for manufacturing a nanocomposite thermoelectric material exhibiting a generally high figure of merit value, the nanocomposite thermoelectric material having a first component made from nanoparticles and a second component made from nanoparticles, the process comprising:

determining a plurality of material compositions to be investigated for the nanocomposite thermoelectric material;
calculating a plurality of thermal conductivity values as a function of scattering cross section of the second component nanoparticles for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
calculating a plurality of electrical resistivity values for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
determining at least one Seebeck coefficient for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
calculating a plurality of figure of merit values for the material as a function of the calculated plurality of thermal conductivity values, the calculated plurality of electrical resistivity values and the determined at least one Seebeck coefficient;
and
determining a generally maximum range of the figure of merit values for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
providing a plurality of the first component nanoparticles and a plurality of the second component nanoparticles;
and
combining a first quantity of the first component nanoparticles and a second quantity of the second component nanoparticles to form the nanocomposite thermoelectric material having a material composition within the plurality of material compositions corresponding to the generally maximum range of figure of merits values.

7 more elements

A process for manufacturing a nanocomposite thermoelectric material having a first component made from nanoparticles and a second component made from nanoparticles, the process comprising:

determining a plurality of material compositions to be investigated for the nanocomposite thermoelectric material having the first component made from nanoparticles and the second component made from nanoparticles;
calculating a plurality of thermal conductivity values as a function of scattering cross section of the second component nanoparticles for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
calculating a plurality of electrical resistivity values for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
determining at least one Seebeck coefficient for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
calculating a plurality of figure of merit values for the material using the expression:
ZTi=Si2ZT/kiρi
where ZTi represents the figure of merit for the plurality of material compositions to be investigated, Si represents the at least one Seebeck coefficient for the plurality of material compositions to be investigated, T represents a temperature being investigated in degrees Kelvin, ki represents thermal conductivity for the plurality of material compositions to be investigated and ρi represents electrical resistivity for each of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
determining a generally maximum range of the figure of merit values for the material as a function of the plurality of material compositions to be investigated;
providing a plurality of the first component nanoparticles and a plurality of the second component nanoparticles;
and
combining a first quantity of the first component nanoparticles and a second quantity of the second component nanoparticles to form the nanocomposite thermoelectric material having a material composition within the plurality of material compositions corresponding to the generally maximum range of figure of merits values.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/875,266Filed 19 Oct 2007
Published: US 2009/0105988 A123 Apr 2009
Granted: 8 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H10N 10/857
Thermoelectric active materials: comprising compositions changing continuously or discontinuously inside the material
G16C 20/30
Chemoinformatics, i.e. ICT specially adapted for the handling of physicochemical or structural data of chemical particles, elements, compounds…
G16C 99/00
Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
H10N
Electric solid-state devices not otherwise provided for