US5246504A
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Thermoelectric material
Assignee: DIRECTOR - GENERAL AGENCY OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY
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Filing: 1992-01-10
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Granted: 1993-09-21
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Expires: 2012-01-10
Abstract
Abstract A thermoelectric material can be obtained by co-pulverizing and mixing a material containing at least bismuth and a material containing at least tellurium, without being alloyed by melting, and then molding and sintering. This thermoelectric material has high performance and can be utilized in a variety of fields such as thermoelectric power generation and thermoelectric cooling, a temperature sensor, space development, marine development, and electric power generation in the remote areas. Since metal elements are used as a starting material, the starting material can be easily prepared. Moreover, in the production steps, the thermoelectric material can be produced in a high yield at a low energy consumption level by a simplified manner, without a complicated operation or special apparatus, and its production cost can be decreased.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshitaka Ohta
- 👤 Takenobu Kajikawa
- 👤 Takashi Uesugi
- 👤 Takeo Tokiai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 10:43
CPC Classifications
B; B22; B22F; B22F9/00; B22F9/02; B22F9/04; H; H10; H10N; H10N10/00; H10N10/01; H10N10/80; H10N10/85; H10N10/851; H10N10/852; H10N10/853
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
61 words
A thermoelectric material obtained by mixing a starting material comprising elemental bismuth, elemental tellurium, optionally elemental antimony and optionally elemental selenium, co-pulverizing the starting material in a planetary type ball mill or a similar ball mill until an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm is obtained, forming a green molding of said co-pulverized material and sintering said green molding.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
61 words
A thermoelectric material obtained by mixing a starting material comprising elemental bismuth, elemental tellurium, optionally elemental antimony and optionally elemental selenium, co-pulverizing the starting material in a planetary type ball mill or a similar ball mill until an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm is obtained, forming a green molding of said co-pulverized material and sintering said green molding.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The thermoelectric as claimed in claim 1, wherein the molar mixing ratio of (elemental bismuth and elemental antimony when present): (elemental tellurium and elemental selenium when present) is about 2:3.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The material as claimed in claim 1, having a thermal conductivity of not more than 1.4 Wm -1 K -1 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the particle diameter of one or both of the elemental bismuth and elemental tellurium are 100 mesh pass.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 1, wherein in addition to the elemental bismuth and the elemental tellurium, the thermoelectric material also comprises elemental selenium.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 4, wherein in addition to the elemental bismuth and elemental tellurium, the thermoelectric material also comprises elemental antimony, with a molar ratio of Bi:Sb:Te=2:8:15.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 4, which further comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of SbI 3 CuTe, Cu 2 S, CuI, CuBr, AgBr, Te, Cd, Sb, Bi, Pb and As.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 7, wherein the dopant is contained in an amount of 0.01 to 10 mole %.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 7, wherein the dopant is contained in an amount of 0.05 to 5 mole %.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
95 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the starting material comprises elemental Bi and elemental Te or comprises in addition to the elemental Bi and the elemental Te, at least one of elemental Sb and elemental Se, the dopant is SbI 3 and the starting material, expressed in molar ratio is selected from the group consisting of Bi 2 Te 3 , Bi 2 Sb 8 Te 15 , Bi 2 Te 2 Se, Bi 2 Sb 2 Te 15 and Bi 1 .8 Sb 0 .2 Te 2 .85 Se 0 .15.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the starting material comprises in addition to the elemental Bi and the elemental Te, elemental Sb and elemental Se, the dopant is Te and the starting material, expressed in molar ratio, is Bi 0 .5 Sb 1 .5 Te 2 .91 Se 0 .09.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 1, having a thermal conductivity of 0.7 to 1.3 Wm -1 K -1 .
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the average particle diameter is 0.05 to 7 μm.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the average particle diameter is 0.05 to 5 μm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
64 words
A thermoelectric material obtained by mixing a starting material comprising elemental bismuth, elemental tellurium, and at least one of elemental antimony and elemental selenium, co-pulverizing the starting material in a planetary type ball mill or a similar ball mill until an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm is obtained, forming a green molding of said co-pulverized material and sintering said green molding.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
64 words
A thermoelectric material obtained by mixing a starting material comprising elemental bismuth, elemental tellurium, and at least one of elemental antimony and elemental selenium, co-pulverizing the starting material in a planetary type ball mill or a similar ball mill until an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm is obtained, forming a green molding of said co-pulverized material and sintering said green molding.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the molar mixing ratio of (elemental bismuth and elemental antimony when present): (elemental tellurium and elemental selenium when present) is about 2:3.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 15, having a thermal conductivity of not more than 1.4 Wm -1 K -1 .
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the average particle diameter is 0.05 to 7 μm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the average particle diameter is 0.05 to 5 μm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
128 words
A thermoelectric material obtained by mixing a starting material selected from the group consisting of (a) elemental Bi and elemental Te; (b) elemental Bi, elemental Te and elemental Sb; (c) elemental Bi, elemental Te and elemental Se; and (d) elemental Bi, elemental Te, elemental Sb and elemental Se, and comprising a dopant in an amount of up to 10 mol %, said dopant being selected from the group consisting of SbI 3 , CuTe, Cu 2 S, CuI, CuB 2 , AgBr, Te, Cd, Sb, Pb, As and Bi, co-pulverizing the starting material in a planetary ball mill or a similar ball mill until an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm is obtained, forming a green molding of said co-pulverized material and sintering said green molding.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
128 words
A thermoelectric material obtained by mixing a starting material selected from the group consisting of (a) elemental Bi and elemental Te; (b) elemental Bi, elemental Te and elemental Sb; (c) elemental Bi, elemental Te and elemental Se; and (d) elemental Bi, elemental Te, elemental Sb and elemental Se, and comprising a dopant in an amount of up to 10 mol %, said dopant being selected from the group consisting of SbI 3 , CuTe, Cu 2 S, CuI, CuB 2 , AgBr, Te, Cd, Sb, Pb, As and Bi, co-pulverizing the starting material in a planetary ball mill or a similar ball mill until an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm is obtained, forming a green molding of said co-pulverized material and sintering said green molding.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
21 words
The thermoelectric material according to claim 20, wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of SbI 3 and Te.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
17 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 20, wherein the average particle diameter is 0.05 to 7μm.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
The thermoelectric material as claimed in claim 20, wherein the average particle diameter is 0.05 to 5 μm.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-09-20 | 1997-03-22 | 1997-09-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-09-20 | 2001-03-22 | 2001-09-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-09-20 | 2005-03-22 | 2005-09-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |