US 11,944,011 B2
Thermoelectric nanocomposite materials
Boris N. Feigelson, Springfield, VA (US); Kevin P. Anderson, Arlington, VA (US); Benjamin L. Greenberg, Alexandria, VA (US); James A. Wollmershauser, Alexandria, VA (US); and Alan G. Jacobs, Rockville, MD (US)
Assigned to The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Dec. 2, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/061,020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/264,857, filed on Dec. 3, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0180609 A1, Jun. 8, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H10N 10/01 (2023.01); C04B 35/117 (2006.01); C04B 35/488 (2006.01); C04B 35/626 (2006.01); C04B 35/628 (2006.01); C04B 35/64 (2006.01); C09C 1/28 (2006.01); C09C 3/00 (2006.01); C09C 3/04 (2006.01); C09C 3/06 (2006.01); H10N 10/852 (2023.01); H10N 10/857 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 10/01 (2023.02) [C04B 35/117 (2013.01); C04B 35/488 (2013.01); C04B 35/6261 (2013.01); C04B 35/62813 (2013.01); C04B 35/62823 (2013.01); C04B 35/62884 (2013.01); C04B 35/64 (2013.01); C09C 1/28 (2013.01); C09C 3/006 (2013.01); C09C 3/041 (2013.01); C09C 3/043 (2013.01); C09C 3/063 (2013.01); H10N 10/852 (2023.02); H10N 10/857 (2023.02); C01P 2002/60 (2013.01); C01P 2002/88 (2013.01); C01P 2004/64 (2013.01); C01P 2006/32 (2013.01); C01P 2006/40 (2013.01); C04B 2235/3217 (2013.01); C04B 2235/3244 (2013.01); C04B 2235/428 (2013.01); C04B 2235/5445 (2013.01); C04B 2235/5454 (2013.01); C04B 2235/614 (2013.01); C04B 2235/781 (2013.01); C04B 2235/785 (2013.01); C04B 2235/9607 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for forming a thermoelectric (TE) nanocomposite material, the method including steps of:
making or selecting a first material comprising a nanopowder of n- or p-type semiconductor nanoparticles or of X1/X2 . . . XN n˜ or p˜type semiconductor core/shell nanoparticles, where X1 is a core of the nanoparticles and X2/ . . . XN are shells surrounding the core wherein, —X2 . . .XN-1 are intermediate continuous or discontinuous layers, each shell surrounding a shell preceding it, and XN is an outer continuous or discontinuous shell;
making a porous green compact consisting of an interconnected particle network from the first material, the compact having an open porosity allowing permeation of the compact with gas or liquid;
infilling and coating all available surfaces inside the porous compact formed from the first material with at least one second material Y1, Y2, . . . YN to form a composite material of the first and second materials, at least one second material Y1, Y2, . . . YN being a semiconductor or a dielectric/insulator material and having a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity of the first material; and
sintering the formed nanocomposite material to remove residual porosity from the composite material and form a nanocomposite solid material with intimately connected p- or n-type networks and having strong chemical bonds at all interfaces;
wherein the nanocomposite solid material retains the nanostructure of the starting nanoparticles within the solid;
wherein the nanocomposite solid material maintains a percolating p- or n-type semiconductor network of the first material X1/X2 . . . XN within the solid second material; and
wherein the second material provides efficient phonon scattering so as to reduce a thermal conductivity of the nanocomposite material while maintaining electrical transport properties of the first material network.