Thermoelectric device having a separate interlayer disposed between a thermoelectric leg and an electrode to reduce the contact resistance therebetween

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11245061-B2
Application number	US-201916555100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2019
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a thermoelectric device in which a separate interlayer is inserted between a thermoelectric leg and an electrode to reduce the contact resistance between the thermoelectric leg and the electrode, so that the interlayer serves as a tunneling path between the thermoelectric leg and the electrode, facilitating the charge movements between the two materials. The thermoelectric device according to an embodiment includes a substrate; at least one thermoelectric leg positioned on the substrate; an interlayer positioned on each thermoelectric leg of the at least one thermoelectric leg and including a plurality of interlayer materials that are chemically bonded with a respective thermoelectric leg; and an electrode positioned on each interlayer and electrically connected to the respective thermoelectric leg, wherein the plurality of interlayer materials of each respective interlayer is arranged in a shape of a brush.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric device, comprising:
a substrate;
at least one thermoelectric leg positioned on the substrate;
an interlayer positioned on each thermoelectric leg of the at least one thermoelectric leg and including a plurality of interlayer materials that are chemically bonded with a respective thermoelectric leg; and
an electrode positioned on each interlayer and electrically connected to the respective thermoelectric leg,
wherein the at least one thermoelectric leg is a P-type thermoelectric leg and is made of a polymer material that conducts heat, and
wherein the plurality of interlayer materials of each respective interlayer comprises a polystyrene polymer terminated with silane and is arranged in a shape of a brush.

2. The thermoelectric device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric leg is made of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS).

3. The thermoelectric device according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of interlayer materials of each respective interlayer comprises the polystyrene polymer which is chemically bonded with the PEDOT:PSS.

4. The thermoelectric device according to claim 1 , wherein each thermoelectric leg and a respective electrode are electrically connected via a respective plurality of interlayer materials as a tunneling path.

5. The thermoelectric device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric leg is a plurality of thermoelectric legs which are disposed in a spaced-apart array that extends along a widthwise direction of one surface of the substrate.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Chung Seungjun
• Lee Phillip
• Park Min
• Lee Sang-Soo
• Kim Heesuk
• Son Jeong Gon
• Park Jong Hyuk
• Kim Tae Ann
• Hwang Seongkwon
• Jeong Inho

Classifications

• H01L35/12 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/34

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/856

  comprising organic compositions · CPC title

• H10N10/17 Primary

  characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device · CPC title