Two-phase thermoelectric body comprising a silicon-carbon matrix

Claim 1

AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A SHAPED, SEMICONDUCTOR TWO-PHASE BODY COMPRISING A MATRIX OF CONSOLIDATED SILICON AND CARBON IN THE PROPORTION OF BETWEEN 20 MOLE PERCENT TO 80 MOLE PERCENT SILICON, AND 80 MOLE PERCENT TO 20 MOLE PERCENT CARBON THE SAID MATRIX HAVING DISPERSED THEREIN A PARTICULATE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE STABLE BINARY SULFIDES, OXIDES, BORIDES, CARBIDES, NITRIDES, SILICADES, AND PHOSPHIDES OF BORON, THORIUM, ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, CALCIUM, TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, TANTALUM, SILICON, VANADIUM, HAFNIUM, COLUMBINUM, TUNGSTEN, IRON, COMBALT, NICKEL, RHENIUM, MOLYBDENUM, BERYLLIUM, BARIUM AND RARE EARTHS OF THE LANTHANIDE AND ACTINIDE SERIES, THE SAID DISPERSANT BEING PRESENT IN THE RANGE OF FROM 0.001 MOLE PERCENT TO 29 MOLE PERCENT OF THE MATRIX, AND HAVING AN ABSOLUTE MELTING POINT OF AT LEAST 105% OF THE MELTING POINT OF THE SAID MATRIX MATERIAL, THE SAID DISPERSANT ALSO HAVING A SOLUBILITY IN THE MATRIX OF LESS THAN 10 MOLE PERCENT AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS 60% OF THE ABSOLUTE MELTING POINT OF THE MATRIX, AND SAID DISPERSANT ALSO BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A PERCENT CUBIC THERMAL EXPANSION WHICH DIFFERS ARTHMETICALLY FROM THAT OF THE MATRIX BY A DEVIATION OF FROM 1.50% TO 6.00% OVER THE RANGE OF 0*C. TO 1500*C.