Thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric module including thermoelectric materials, and thermoelectric apparatus including thermoelectric modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10475979-B2
Application number	US-201715461546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2017
Priority date	Jan 6, 2009
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A thermoelectric material containing a dichalcogenide compound represented by Formula 1 and having low thermoelectric conductivity and high Seebeck coefficient:

R a T b X 2-n Y n   (1)

wherein R is a rare earth element, T includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Group 1 elements, Group 2 elements, and a transition metal, X includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te, Y is different from X and includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, P, As, Sb, Bi, C, Si, Ge, Sn, B, Al, Ga and In, a is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, b is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1, and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric material represented by Formula 1, comprising a layered structure having a disordered structure in an in-plane direction:
R a T b X 2-n Y n   (1)

wherein R is a rare earth element,
T comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Group 1 elements, Group 2 elements, and a transition metal,
X comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te,
Y is different from X and comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, P, As, Sb, Bi, C, Si, Ge, Sn, B, Al, Ga and In,
a is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1,
b is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1, and
n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2,
wherein the thermoelectric material having a layered structure comprises a first layer comprising X, or X and Y; and a second layer comprising X and R, or X and Y and R, and
wherein the first layer and the second layer are alternately arranged and T is intercalated between the first layer and the second layer.

2. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material comprises a lattice distortion formed by a charge density wave.

3. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material comprises two-dimensional electrical conductivity characteristics.

4. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material comprises a bulk phase.

5. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein in a crystal structure of the thermoelectric material, elements R and T are disposed between layers consisting of element X.

6. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein a+b is greater than 1 and less than 2.

7. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein n is 0.

8. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material is polycrystalline.

9. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material is single-crystalline.

10. A thermoelectric device comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
the thermoelectric material of claim 1 interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

11. A thermoelectric apparatus comprising:
a heat source; and
a thermoelectric device, the thermoelectric device comprising
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
the thermoelectric material of claim 1 interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Rhyee Jong-Soo
• Lee Sang-Mock

Classifications

• Y02P20/129

  Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines · CPC title

• C01G3/00

  Compounds of copper · CPC title

• C01P2006/32

  Thermal properties · CPC title

• C01G17/006

  Compounds containing germanium, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements · CPC title

• C01G19/006

  Compounds containing tin, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements · CPC title