Thermoelectric polymer composite, method of making and use of same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10497849-B2
Application number	US-201715420372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2017
Priority date	May 21, 2013
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A thermoelectric composite includes a plurality of particles comprising a crosslinked polymer having a heat deflection temperature greater than or equal to 200° F. and a segregated network comprising a first filler material which is disposed between the particles to produce a thermoelectric response in response to application of a voltage difference or temperature difference across the thermoelectric composite. The first filler material includes a carbon material, a metal, a metal disposed on a carbon material, or a combination thereof. A process for preparing a thermoelectric article includes combining a first filler material and a plurality of particles comprising a polymer to form a composition and molding the composition to form a thermoelectric article, wherein the thermoelectric article is configured to produce a thermoelectric response in response to application of a voltage difference or temperature difference across the article.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for preparing a thermoelectric article, the process comprising: combining a first filler material and a plurality of particles comprising a polymer to form a composition; crosslinking the polymer to provide a crosslinked polymer; and molding the composition to form a thermoelectric article comprising a thermoelectric composite, wherein the first filler material comprises a metal disposed on a carbon material, the carbon material comprising carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, carbon black, graphite, graphene or a combination thereof; the polymer comprises polyphenylene sulfide, polyphenylene sulfone, self-reinforced polyphenylene, polyether sulfone, polyetherether ketone, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyaryletherketones, polyphenylene sulfone ureas, or a combination thereof, and the thermoelectric article is configured to produce a thermoelectric response in response to application of a voltage difference or temperature difference across the article.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein crosslinking the polymer comprises heating the plurality of particles comprising the polymer to crosslink the polymer in individual particles.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein molding comprises:
applying pressure to the composition; and
heating the composition to crosslink the polymer and to form the crosslinked polymer,
wherein the crosslinked polymer is disposed in the metal in response to applying the pressure.

4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the thermoelectric article with a terminal, the terminal being configured to transmit electrical current, apply voltage across a portion of the thermoelectric article, or a combination thereof.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has a heat deflection temperature greater than or equal to 200° F. (93° C.).

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises cadmium, chromium, cobalt, brass, iridium, iron, lead, molybdenum, nickel, platinum, ruthenium steel, selenium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, zinc, or a combination thereof, and the metal is a foam, solid, flake, chip, powder, turnings, or a combination thereof.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first filler material comprises nickel coated carbon fiber.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles further comprises a second filler material disposed among the crosslinked polymer, and the second filler material comprises a carbon material, a metal, a metal disposed on a carbon material, or a combination thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first filler material is present in an amount from 0.1 wt. % to 70 wt. %, based on the weight of the polymer.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the metal disposed on the carbon material is present in an amount from 0.5 wt. % to 30 wt. %, based on the weight of the carbon material.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric composite has a thermal decomposition temperature greater than 350° C.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polymer has an electrical conductivity from 10 −15 Siemens per meter (S/m) to 10 −11 S/m.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric composite has an electrical conductivity from 10 3 to 10 4 S/m and a thermal conductivity from 0.2 Watt per meter per Kelvin (W/m·K) to 2.5 W/m·K.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric composite has a Seebeck coefficient from 10 microvolts per Kelvin (μV/K) to 60 μV/K.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric composite has a cooling efficiency from 1 degree Celsius per amp (° C./A) to 30° C./A.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the article has a first terminal disposed at first position of the article; and a second terminal disposed at a second position of the article, and the article is configured to flow an electrical current through the first terminal and second terminal and through the article between the first position and second position.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein the electrical current is produced in response to a temperature difference between the first position and the second position.

Assignees

• Roy Sayantan
• Gerrard David Peter
• Kuznetsov Oleksandr V
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Roy Sayantan
• Gerrard David Peter
• Kuznetsov Oleksandr V

Classifications

• H01L35/26 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/24

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/34

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/856 Primary

  comprising organic compositions · CPC title

• H10N10/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title