Thermoelectric conversion material, thermoelectric conversion element, thermoelectric conversion module, and optical sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12035629-B2
Application number	US-202017631495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2020
Priority date	Aug 30, 2019
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

A thermoelectric conversion material is represented by a composition formula Ag2S(1-x)Sex, where x has a value of greater than 0.01 and smaller than 0.6.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric conversion material represented by a composition formula Ag 2 S (1-x) Se x ,
x having a value of greater than 0.01 and smaller than 0.6.

2. The thermoelectric conversion material according to claim 1 , wherein the value of x is greater than 0.2.

3. The thermoelectric conversion material according to claim 1 , wherein the value of x is smaller than 0.5.

4. A thermoelectric conversion element comprising:
a thermoelectric conversion material portion;
a first electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric conversion material portion; and
a second electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric conversion material portion and apart from the first electrode;
the thermoelectric conversion material portion being constituted by the thermoelectric conversion material according to claim 1 .

5. The thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 4 , wherein the thermoelectric conversion element is used in a temperature range in which a cubic crystal structure and at least one of monoclinic and orthorhombic crystal structures are coexistent in the thermoelectric conversion material.

6. A thermoelectric conversion module comprising the thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 4 .

7. An optical sensor comprising:
an absorber that absorbs optical energy; and
a thermoelectric conversion material portion connected to the absorber,
the thermoelectric conversion material portion being constituted by the thermoelectric conversion material according to claim 1 .

8. A thermoelectric conversion element comprising:
a first material portion of a plate shape constituted by the thermoelectric conversion material according to claim 1 , the first material portion having n type conductivity;
an insulating second material portion of a plate shape disposed on the first material portion, the second material portion having flexibility;
a third material portion disposed on the first material portion in a position different from the second material portion, the third material portion having electrical conductivity; and
a fourth material portion disposed on the second material portion and in contact with the third material portion, the fourth material portion being composed of at least one of a metallic material and a thermoelectric conversion material having p type conductivity, the fourth material portion having flexibility.

9. The thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 8 , wherein the second material portion is constituted by Ag 2 S.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries
• Toyota School Found

Inventors

• Hirose Kotaro
• Adachi Masahiro
• Yamamoto Yoshiyuki
• Takeuchi Tsunehiro

Classifications

• H10N10/17

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

• G01J5/12

  using thermoelectric elements, e.g. thermocouples · CPC title

• C01G5/00

  Compounds of silver · CPC title

• C01B19/00 Primary

  Selenium; Tellurium; Compounds thereof (phosphorus compounds C01B25/14) · CPC title

• H10N10/852 Primary

  comprising tellurium, selenium or sulfur · CPC title