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US 9,865,790 B2Granted
Nanostructured bulk thermoelectric material
AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund
InventorsMinjuan Zhang, Yunfeng Lu
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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.
Claims10
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 being a semiconductor formed by consolidating particles into a continuous network,
- a second component being an electrically insulating inorganic oxide, the second component having an electrical conductivity substantially less than the first component,
- the thermoelectric material including the continuous network of the first component and a continuous network of the second component defining two bi-continuous interpenetrating networks.
4 more elements
A thermoelectric material comprising:
- a first component being a semiconductor formed by consolidating particles into a continuous network,
- a second component being an electrically insulating inorganic oxide, the second component having an electrical conductivity substantially less than the first component,
- the thermoelectric material forming a bulk thermoelectric material including the continuous network of the first component and a continuous network of the second component defining two bi-continuous interpenetrating networks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.