Compound semiconductor and use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11162159-B2
Application number	US-201716082028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

The present invention provides a novel compound semiconductor that has improved thermoelectric figure of merit as well as excellent electric conductivity, and thus, can be applied for various uses such as thermoelectric conversion material of a thermoelectric conversion device, a solar battery, and the like, and a method for preparing the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compound semiconductor represented by the following Chemical Formula 1:
Pr x S y Co 4 Sb 12-z Q z   Chemical Formula 1

In the Chemical Formula 1, Q includes at least one of O, Se and Te,
x, y, and z means the mole ratio of each element, wherein 0<x<1, 0<y<1, and 0<z<12.

2. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 , wherein in the Chemical Formula 1, x and y fulfill x/y<1.

3. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 , wherein in the Chemical Formula 1, x and y fulfill 0<x+y≤1.

4. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 , wherein in the Chemical Formula 1, the mole ratio of x to 1 mole of z is 0.01 to 0.5 moles.

5. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 , wherein in the Chemical Formula 1, 0.01≤x<0.2, 0.1≤y≤0.5, and 0.01≤z≤1.

6. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 , wherein in the Chemical Formula 1, Q is Te.

7. A method for preparing a compound semiconductor of claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
mixing Pr, S, Co, Sb, and the element Q (Q includes at least one of O, Se and Te) in the contents fulfilling the compound composition of the following Chemical Formula 1, to prepare a mixture; and
heat treating the mixture:
Pr x S y Co 4 Sb 12-z Q z   Chemical Formula 1

in the Chemical Formula 1, Q includes at least one of O, Se and Te,
x, y, and z means the mole ratio of each element, wherein 0<x<1, 0<y<1, and 0<z<12.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the heat treatment step is conducted at 400° C. to 800° C.

9. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising a step of cooling, after the heat treatment step.

10. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising a step of pressurized sintering, after the heat treatment step.

11. A thermoelectric conversion device comprising the compound semiconductor according to claim 1 .

12. A solar battery comprising the compound semiconductor according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Ko Kyung Moon
• Kim Min Kyoung
• Park Cheol Hee
• Park Chee Sung
• Jung Myung Jin
• Min Yu Ho

Classifications

• C01G51/82

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

• H10F77/121 Primary

  comprising only selenium or only tellurium · CPC title

• H10F77/12

  Active materials · CPC title

• C22C12/00 Primary

  Alloys based on antimony or bismuth · CPC title

• H10N10/852

  comprising tellurium, selenium or sulfur · CPC title