Self-organising thermoelectric materials

A process for producing thermoelectric materials with a polyphasic structure, in which particles of a first phase with a characteristic length, a measure of the mean geometric dimension of the particles within the matrix, of not more than 10 μm are present in homogeneous dispersion in a second phase, so that particles of the first phase are present distributed in the second phase such that the particles of the first phase are not in contact and, in macroscopic terms, there is homogeneous distribution over the entire matrix material, by self-assembly, which comprises melting an at least binary thermoelectric material together with a metal which is not a component of the at least binary thermoelectric material, or a chalcogenide of said metal, and, after mixing, cooling or bonding by means of reactive grinding, and wherein the thermoelectric material and the metal have the general formula (I):

• (AIVBVI)1−xMex (I)
• where
• AIVis Si, Ge, Sn, Pb or a combination thereof,
• BVIis S, Se, Te or a combination thereof,
• Me is Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ti, Zr, Hf, Fe, Co or a combination thereof,
• 1 ppm <x<0.8,
• or wherein the thermoelectric material and the metal have the general formula (II)
• (CV2BVI3)1−xMex (II)
• where
• CV is P, As, Sb, Bi or a combination thereof,
• BVI is S, Se, Te or a combination thereof,
• Me is Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Ni, Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Cu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, In, Ga, Al, Zn, Cd, Tl or a combination thereof,
• 1 ppm<x<0.8,
• or wherein the thermoelectric material and the metal chalcogenide have the general formula (III)
• (AIVBVI)1−x(MeBVIb)x (III)
• where
• AIV is Si, Ge, Sn, Pb or a combination thereof,
• BVI is S, Se, Te or a combination thereof,
• Me is Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ti, Zr, Hf, Fe, Co or a combination thereof,
• 1 ppm<x<0.8 and
• 0<b<3,
• or wherein the thermoelectric material and the metal chalcogenide have the general formula (IV)
• (CV2BVI3)1−x(MeBVIb)x (IV)
• where
• CV is P, As, Sb, Bi or a combination thereof,
• BVI is S, Se, Te or a combination thereof,
• Me is Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Ni, Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Cu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, In, Ga, Al, Zn, Cd, Tl or a combination thereof,
• 1 ppm<x<0.8 and
• 0<b<3.