Thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric module including thermoelectric materials, and thermoelectric apparatus including thermoelectric modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9653672-B2
Application number	US-68315110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2010
Priority date	Jan 6, 2009
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A thermoelectric material containing a dichalcogenide compound represented by Formula 1 and having low thermoelectric conductivity and high Seebeck coefficient:

R a T b X 2-n Y n   (1)

wherein R is a rare earth element, T includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Group 1 elements, Group 2 elements, and a transition metal, X includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te, Y is different from X and includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, P, As, Sb, Bi, C, Si, Ge, Sn, B, Al, Ga and In, a is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, b is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1, and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric material comprising a chalcogenide compound represented by Formula 1:
R a T b X 2-n Y n   (1)

wherein R is at least one rare earth element selected from Sc, Y, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu,
T comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, Rf, Db, Sg, Mn, Tc, Re, Bh, Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Co, Rh, Mt, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ds, Cu, Ag, Au, Rg, Zn, Cd, Hg and Cn,
X comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te,
Y is different from X and comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, P, As, Sb, Bi, C, Ge, Sn, B, Al, Ga and In,
a is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1,
b is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.3, and
n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2,
wherein in a crystal structure of the thermoelectric material, elements R and T are disposed between layers consisting of element X.

2. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein a+b is greater than 1 and less than 2.

3. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material is polycrystalline.

4. Thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric material is single-crystalline.

5. A thermoelectric device comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
a thermoelectric material interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the thermoelectric material comprising a chalcogenide compound represented by Formula 1:
R a T b X 2-n Y n   (1)

wherein R is at least one rare earth element selected from Sc, Y, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu,
T comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, Rf, Db, Sg, Mn, Tc, Re, Bh, Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Co, Rh, Mt, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ds, Cu, Ag, Au, Rg, Zn, Cd, Hg and Cn,
X comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te,
Y is different from X and comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, P, As, Sb, Bi, C, Ge, Sn, B, Al, Ga and In,
a is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1,
b is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.3, and
n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2,
wherein in a crystal structure of the thermoelectric material, elements R and T are disposed between layers consisting of element X.

6. A thermoelectric apparatus comprising:
a heat source; and
a thermoelectric device, the thermoelectric device comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
a thermoelectric material interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the thermoelectric material comprising a chalcogenide compound represented by Formula 1:
R a T b X 2-n Y n (1)

wherein R is at least one rare earth element selected from Sc, Y, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu,
T comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, Rf, Db, Sg, Mn, Tc, Re, Bh, Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Co, Rh, Mt, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ds, Cu, Ag, Au, Rg, Zn, Cd, Hg and Cn,
X comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te,
Y is different from X and comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, P, As, Sb, Bi, C, Ge, Sn, B, Al, Ga and In,
a is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1,
b is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.3, and
n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2,
wherein in a crystal structure of the thermoelectric material, elements R and T are disposed between layers consisting of element X.

7. The thermoelectric material of claim 1 , wherein n is 0.

8. The thermoelectric device of claim 5 , wherein n is 0.

9. The thermoelectric apparatus of claim 6 , wherein n is 0.

Assignees

• Rhyee Jong-Soo
• Lee Sang-Mock
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Rhyee Jong-Soo
• Lee Sang-Mock

Classifications

• C01G17/006

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

• C01B19/002 Primary

  Compounds containing, besides selenium or tellurium, more than one other element, with -O- and -OH not being considered as anions · CPC title

• C01G3/00

  Compounds of copper · CPC title

• C01G29/006

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

• Y02P20/129

  Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines · CPC title