Thermoelectric material, thermoelectric module and thermoelectric device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10651360-B2
Application number	US-201815974980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2018
Priority date	Nov 9, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A method of preparing the thermoelectric materials includes coating a thin film of a material having a Seebeck coefficient of ±μV/K or greater on one surface of a substrate, coating a polymer precursor solution for forming a polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of about 50° C. or greater on a top surface of the material thin film, forming a polymer layer on the top surface of the material thin film by curing the polymer precursor solution, and preparing the self-standing flexible thermoelectric composite structure by separating the polymer layer formed on the top surface of the material thin film from the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric material comprising a thermoelectric composite structure comprising:
a framework of a plurality of graphenes doped with a nonmetallic element; and
a plurality of pores in the framework of the plurality of graphenes doped with the nonmetallic element, and
wherein the framework of the plurality of graphenes has 1 to 100 layers.

2. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric composite structure is a three-dimensional interpenetrating structure.

3. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the pores are connected to form a channel.

4. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the doped nonmetallic element comprises at least one element selected from Group XIII elements, Group XIV elements, Group XV elements, and Group XVI elements.

5. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the doped nonmetallic element comprises at least one element selected from boron (B), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), and phosphorus (P).

6. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the nonmetallic element-doped graphenes comprise a p-type or n-type reduced graphene oxide (rGO).

7. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric composite structure is a product of heat-treatment performed under a reducing atmosphere.

8. A thermoelectric device comprising a thermoelectric material according to claim 1 .

9. A method of preparing a thermoelectric material, the method comprising:
mixing a polymer template solution comprising a nonmetallic element and a graphene solution and dispersing the mixture to prepare a dispersion; and
preparing the thermoelectric composite structure of claim 1 by filtering and drying the dispersion and heat-treating the dried resultant under a reducing atmosphere.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the nonmetallic element comprises at least one element selected from Group XIII elements, Group XIV elements, Group XV elements, and Group XVI elements.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the polymer template solution comprises at least one polymer selected from polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene oxide, a copolymer thereof, or a mixture thereof.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the graphene solution comprises a graphene oxide solution.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the reducing atmosphere is an inert gas atmosphere.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the heat-treatment is performed at a temperature of about 200° C. to about 1500° C.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the heat-treatment is a two-stage process.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the preparation of the thermoelectric composite structure comprises forming a plurality of pores by removing a polymer template formed from the polymer template solution, and preparing a thermoelectric composite structure comprising a p-type or n-type rGO doped with a nonmetallic element derived from the polymer template.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein a volume of the p-type or n-type rGO doped with the nonmetallic element is about 5% by volume to about 90% by volume based on a total volume of polymer particles of the polymer template and the rGO.

Assignees

• Univ Kookmin Ind Acad Coop Found

Inventors

• Lee Hyun Jung
• Kim Soo Hyun
• Kim Yong Myeong
• Bark Hyun Woo

Classifications

• C08L25/08

  Copolymers of styrene (C08L29/08, C08L35/06, C08L55/02 take precedence) · CPC title

• C08J5/18

  Manufacture of films or sheets · CPC title

• C08L27/06

  Homopolymers or copolymers of vinyl chloride · CPC title

• C08L23/0846

  with unsaturated hydrocarbons containing atoms other than carbon or hydrogen · CPC title

• C08L79/08 Primary

  Polyimides; Polyester-imides; Polyamide-imides; Polyamide acids or similar polyimide precursors · CPC title