Flexible thermoelectric generator module and method for producing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016251992-A1
Application number	US-201514840976-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2015
Priority date	Feb 27, 2015
Publication date	Sep 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention provides a thermoelectric generator module including one or more module unit bodies disposed between a hot source and a cold source to serve as fundamental structures for performing thermoelectric power generation, wherein the module unit bodies are disposed on a exhaust pipe interposed between the hot source and the cold source, and provides a method of manufacturing the thermoelectric generator module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A thermoelectric generator module including one or more module unit bodies disposed between a hot source and a cold source to serve as fundamental structures for performing thermoelectric power generation,
wherein the module unit bodies are disposed on a exhaust pipe interposed between the hot source and the cold source, and wherein each of the module unit bodies comprises: at least two first electrodes disposed at one of the hot source and the cold source so as to be spaced apart from each other; a second electrode disposed at the other of the hot source and the cold source so as to be spaced apart from the first electrodes; a first nanoparticle film configured to interconnect one of the first electrodes and the second electrode and composed of an n-type or p-type semiconductor; and a second nanoparticle film composed of a conductor or semiconductor of a type different from the type of the semiconductor forming the first nanoparticle film, and the second nanoparticle film being connected at one end thereof to one of the two first electrodes and connected at the other end thereof to the second electrode so as to be space apart from the first nanoparticle film.

2 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrodes and the second electrode are disposed on a co-plane,
wherein at least one of the first electrodes is connected to one of first electrodes in an adjoining module unit body, and wherein at least one of the first electrodes, the second electrode, the first nanoparticle film, and the second nanoparticle film of the module unit body forms a “ ” shape.

3 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 2 , wherein the module unit bodies including the module unit body consisting of the first electrodes, the second electrode, the first nanoparticle film, and the second nanoparticle film, which form the “ ” shape, are consecutively disposed in series on the exhaust pipe to capture any one heat source.

4 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 1 , wherein a heat shielding protective layer is disposed on one side of the exhaust pipe between the first electrodes and the second electrode.

5 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 4 , wherein the heat shielding protective layer comprises at least one of a ceramic based material such as ZrO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , SiC or ZrO 2 and polymer.

6 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 4 , wherein the exhaust pipe is formed of any one selected from among Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyimide, polycarbonate, Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), parylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polysilane, polysiloxane, polysilazane, polycarbosilane, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polymethylacrylate, polyethylacrylate, polyethylmetacrylate, cyclic olefin polymer (COP), polyethylene (PE), polyprophylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyoxymethylene (POM), poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK), polyether sulfone (PES), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and perfluoroalkyl ethyl acrylate (PFA), or a combination thereof.

7 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 1 , wherein the first nanoparticle film and the second nanoparticle film comprise a chalcogenide compound.

8 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 7 , wherein the first nanoparticle film comprises at least one chalcogenide compound selected from the group consisting of HgTe, Sb 2 Te 3 , Bi 2 Te 3 , and PbTe.

9 . The thermoelectric generator module according to claim 7 , wherein the second nanoparticle film 60 includes at least one chalcogenide compound selected from the group consisting of HgSe, Sb 2 Se 3 , Bi 2 Se 3 , PbSe, and PbS.

10 . A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric generator module, the method comprising:
a nanoparticle solution provision step of providing a first nanoparticle solution comprising a first nanoparticle composed of an n-type or p-type semiconductor and a second nanoparticle solution comprising a second nanoparticle composed of a p-type or n-type semiconductor; a first electrode pattern formation step of forming a pattern for deposition of a conductive layer for first electrodes by performing a photolithography process on a exhaust pipe; a first electrode deposition step of depositing a conductive layer on the pattern 200 to form the first electrodes; a first nanoparticle film pattern formation step of forming a pattern for formation of a first nanoparticle film connected to the first electrodes by performing the photolithography process on at least one of the first electrodes formed on the exhaust pipe; a first nanoparticle film formation step of spin-coating the first nanoparticle solution on the pattern to form the first nanoparticle film; a second nanoparticle film pattern formation step of forming a pattern for formation of a second nanoparticle film that is alternately arranged with the first nanoparticle film so as to be spaced apart from the first nanoparticle film and is connected to the first electrode by performing the photolithography process on at least one of the first electrodes; a second nanoparticle film formation step of spin-coating the second nanoparticle solution on the pattern to form the second nanoparticle film; a second electrode pattern formation step of forming a pattern for deposition of a conductive layer for the second electrode by performing a photolithography process on the other sides of the first and second nanoparticle films; a second electrode deposition step of depositing a conductive layer on the pattern to form the second electrodes; and a protective layer formation step of forming a heat shielding protective layer on the first and second nanoparticle films between the first electrode 300 and the second electrode.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the first nanoparticle solution and the second nanoparticle solution comprise a chalcogenide compound.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first nanoparticle solution comprises at least one chalcogenide compound selected from the group consisting of HgTe, Sb 2 Te 3 , Bi 2 Te 3 , and PbTe.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the second nanoparticle solution comprises at least one chalcogenide compound selected from the group consisting of HgSe, Sb 2 Se 3 , Bi 2 Se 3 , PbSe, and PbS.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein in the first nanoparticle film formation step and the second nanoparticle film formation step, the rotational speed of the exhaust pipe is in the range between the 500 rpm and 7000 rpm.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein during the rotation of the exhaust pipe, a speed change of the exhaust pipe to predetermined different first and second rotational speeds occurs for a predetermined time,
wherein the first rotational speed is lower than the second rotational speed, and the rotation time of the first rotational speed is shorter than the rotation time of the second rotational speed, and wherein the ratio of the first rotational speed to the second rotational speed is below 1:12, and the ratio of the rotation time of the first rotational speed to the rotation time of the second rotational speed is below 1:8.

16 . A thermoelectric generator module manufactured by the method according to claim 10 .

17 . A thermoelectric generator module manufactured by the method according to claim 11 .

Assignees

• Univ Korea Res & Bus Found

Inventors

• Kim Sang Sig
• Cho Kyoung Ah
• Choi Jin Yong

Classifications

• F01N5/025 Primary

  the device being thermoelectric generators · CPC title

• H01L35/32

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/34

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/01 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H10N10/855

  comprising compounds containing boron, carbon, oxygen or nitrogen · CPC title