PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermoelectric conversion material excellent in mechanical strength without losing thermoelectric conversion characteristics such as PF compared with conventional thermoelectric conversion materials. SOLUTION: The thermoelectric conversion material is yielded by sintering a mixture of an oxide for thermoelectric conversion material and an inorganic substance (herein, the inorganic substance is not the oxide for thermoelectric conversion material). In the material, a combination of the oxide for thermoelectric conversion material and the inorganic substance is that of materials not reacting in the following heat treatment conditions: pressure: 950 to 1,050 hPa, temperature: 900°C. For the thermoelectric conversion material the oxide for the thermoelectric conversion material is calcium manganese based oxide. For the thermoelectric conversion material the inorganic substance is oxides of one kind or more selected from nickel oxide, copper oxide, and zinc oxide. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Thermoelectric conversion material and its manufacturing method

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately measure a Seebeck coefficient and heat permeability. SOLUTION: A measuring instrument of the Seebeck coefficient and the heat permeability is equipped with a sample stand 6 formed of a conductor on which a sample 7 is installed and placed, sample stand wiring 22 drawn out of the sample stand 6 and comprising the same material as that of the sample stand 6, the thermal probe formed of a conductor brought into contact with the sample 7 placed on the sample stand, probe wiring 21 drawn out of the thermal probe and comprising the same material as that of the thermal probe, wiring 32 drawn out in order to measure temperatures of a plurality of the points in the probe 14 of the thermal probe and a means for measuring temperatures of a plurality of the points in the probe 14 before and after the contact of the probe 14 and the sample 7 and a voltage at the contact point of the probe 14 and the sample 7. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Measuring instrument of seebeck coefficient and heat permeability and measuring instrument of heat permeability

A thermo-electric converting material having satisfactory thermo-electric converting properties and excellent mechanical strength; a process for producing the material; and a thermo-electric converting element employing the material. The thermo-electric converting material comprises an oxide for thermo-electric converting materials and an inorganic substance, wherein the inorganic substance does not react with the oxide for thermo-electric converting materials under the conditions of a pressure of 950-1,050 hPa and a temperature of 900°C. The process for producing a thermo-electric converting material comprises the steps (a1) and (a2): (a1) a mixture of an oxide for thermo-electric converting materials and an inorganic substance is molded to obtain a molding; and (a2) the molding is burned in the air at 800-1,700°C.

Thermo-electric converting material, process for producing the same, thermo-electric converting element, and method of heightening strength of thermo-electric converting material

Compositions related to skutterudite-based thermoelectric materials are disclosed. Such compositions can result in materials that have enhanced ZT values relative to one or more bulk materials from which the compositions are derived. Thermoelectric materials such as n-type and p-type skutterudites with high thermoelectric figures-of-merit can include materials with filler atoms and/or materials formed by compacting particles (e.g., nanoparticles) into a material with a plurality of grains each having a portion having a skutterudite-based structure. Methods of forming thermoelectric skutterudites, which can include the use of hot press processes to consolidate particles, are also disclosed. The particles to be consolidated can be derived from (e.g., grinded from), skutterudite-based bulk materials, elemental materials, other non-Skutterudite-based materials, or combinations of such materials.

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Thermoelectric skutterudite compositions and methods for producing the same

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop technology simply quantifying a Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity of a substance. SOLUTION: A Seebeck coefficient measuring device measures the Seebeck coefficient of the substance. The device comprises a pair of thermocouples, a heater for heating one thereof, a measuring instrument for measuring temperatures of individual thermocouples and thermal electromotive force of a substance specimen generated between both the thermocouples, and a calculation circuit for calculating the Seebeck coefficient by dividing the thermal electromotive force of the substance specimen by a temperature difference between both the thermocouples. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Seebeck coefficient measuring device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for largely increasing the strength of a thermoelectric-material sintered body without degrading thermoelectric performance at all. SOLUTION: The sintered body of a thermoelectric material, in particular, the sintered body of a Zn-Sb based thermoelectric material, contains 0.5 to 20 volume percent of reinforced fibers mainly composed of whiskers or short fibers having needle-shaped branches which diverge to two or more directions, in particular, of ZnO whiskers having needle-shaped branches which diverge to four directions of a diamond-like shape, wherein the reinforced fibers are uniformly dispersed in the thermoelectric material, which is then sintered to obtain the sintered body. The average aspect ratio of the needle-shaped branches of the reinforced fibers is 0.5 to 1,000. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Highly strong thermoelectric material

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high strength thermoelectric material with which degradation of thermoelectric performance is kept to be little by adding a small amount of reinforced fiber to a thermoelectric material sintered body, strength can remarkably be improved, workability and thermal shock resistance of the thermoelectric sintered body are improved and practical use from work technology and cost aspect is made easy. SOLUTION: The high strength thermoelectric material is obtained by uniformly dispersing short fiber of oxide ceramic, non-oxide ceramic, metal and carbon or reinforced fiber formed of one type or above whiskers in raw material powder of thermoelectric material so as to sinter it. It is desirable that an average aspect ratio of short fiber of the whiskers is 2 to 1,000. A material of a Zn-Sb system is used as the thermoelectric material, and content of reinforced fiber in the sintered boy is set to be 5 to 40 weight %. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

High strength thermoelectric material

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the influence of a voltage resulting from a thermocouple in measuring the thermoelectromotive force of a thermoelectric material using the thermocouple. SOLUTION: A heater 11 on the low-temperature side of a thermoelectric material 10 and a heater 12 on the high-temperature side hereof are used to measure a thermoelectromotive force while eliminating a difference of temperature between the heaters 11 and 12, thereby measuring a voltage resulting from the thermocouple derived from the heaters 11 and 12. The voltage derived from the thermocouple is subtracted from an actually measured apparent electromotive force to accurately measure a thermoelectromotive force derived from the thermoelectric material.

Method for measuring thermoelectromotive force of thermoelectric material

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control an average crystal particle size to a small value in crystalline substances including various electronic materials such as a thermoelectric material. SOLUTION: A different-phase polycrystalline powder, which is prepared by a gas atomization method, comprises Sb, CoSb, CoSb 2 , etc., and is in a nonequilibrium state, is sintered by a pressure sintering means such as plasma discharge sintering, thus forming a polycrystalline sintered body wherein the average crystal particle size of crystals constituting the sintered body is controlled to 0.8 μm or lower. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Particle size control method for average crystal particle size

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermoelectric material that has improved thermoelectric conversion performance and junction properties with an electrode to a thermal history in an antimonide thermoelectric material having skutterudite structure. SOLUTION: Gas atomized powder having a different antimony content is sintered by a thermoelectric material sintered body containing rare-earth elements in antimonide having skutterudite structure, thus forming a section containing antimony more excessively than a desired stoichiometric composition in one portion of the sintered body.

Ota Junko

Papers

Highly strong thermoelectric material

High strength thermoelectric material

Method for measuring thermoelectromotive force of thermoelectric material

Particle size control method for average crystal particle size

Thermoelectric material sintered body using gas atomized powder, and method for manufacturing the thermoelectric material sintered body