US 11,917,915 B2
Pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material, method of manufacturing the same, thermoelectric element, and thermoelectric module
Sung Hoon Park, Incheon (KR); and Seo Young Kim, Gyeonggi-do (KR)
Assigned to HYLIUM INDUSTRIES, INC., Gyeonggi-do (KR)
Filed by HYLIUM INDUSTRIES, INC., Gyeonggi-do (KR)
Filed on Jul. 14, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/928,829.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2020-0022331 (KR), filed on Feb. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0265548 A1, Aug. 26, 2021
Int. Cl. H10N 10/852 (2023.01); H10N 10/17 (2023.01); C04B 35/547 (2006.01); C04B 35/653 (2006.01); C04B 35/626 (2006.01); C04B 35/645 (2006.01)
CPC H10N 10/852 (2023.02) [C04B 35/547 (2013.01); C04B 35/6261 (2013.01); C04B 35/645 (2013.01); C04B 35/653 (2013.01); H10N 10/17 (2023.02); C04B 2235/446 (2013.01); C04B 2235/5436 (2013.01); C04B 2235/666 (2013.01); C04B 2235/77 (2013.01); C04B 2235/9607 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material comprising:
bismuth (Bi);
antimony (Sb);
tellurium (Te); and
selenium (Se),
wherein a composition ratio of the pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material is BixSb2-xTe3 in which 0.3≤x≤0.6, or (Bi2Te3)1-x-y(Sb2Te3)x(Sb2Se3)y in which 0<x<1 and 0.001≤y≤0.05,
wherein a particle size in a center portion is less than or equal to 6 micrometers (μm) and a particle size in an edge portion is less than or equal to 10 μm, and
an average particle size in the center portion is greater than an average particle size in the edge portion, and wherein a difference in Seebeck coefficient between a center portion and an edge portion is 2 millivolts per Kelvin (mV/K) to 4 mV/K; and wherein said pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material is made by a process, comprising:
melting bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), and selenium (Se);
preparing an ingot by quenching a molten raw material obtained by the melting;
preparing raw powder with a size of 0.1 μm to 50 μm by pulverizing the ingot; and
preparing a thermoelectric material specimen by performing spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the raw powder, wherein said SPS is performed at an atmosphere of a vacuum of 10-2 to 10-5 torr, a pressure of 30 to 60 MPa, a temperature of 250 to 400° C., and for 30 minutes.