Multiphase thermoelectric alloys and method of making same

Details Multiphase thermoelectric alloys and method of making same Multiphase thermoelectric alloys and method of making same

H - Electricity

01

L

31/106, 356/106,

H01L 35/16 (2006.01) H01L 35/18 (2006.01)

Patent

CA 1185781

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is disclosed new and improved multi- phase thermoelectric alloys (10) and a method for making the same. The alloys are disordered mate- rials having a multiplicity of matrix crystallites (12) separated by generally disordered grain boundaries (14) containing transitional phases and grain boundary regions (16) of various phases in- cluding electrically conductive phases having at least one phase having high electrical conducti- vity. The alloys (10) are formed from a mixture of at least two separately prepared multiple element compounds preferably a first compound Bi10Sb30Te60 or Bi40Te48Se12 and a second compound Ag25Sb25Te50. These compounds while crystalline, have different crytalline structures. They them- selves are polycrystalline and do not represent the most stable crystalline structure. The first compound has a rhombohedral crystalline structure and the second compound has a face centered cubic crystalline structure. The compounds are combined in solid particulate form in proportions of 97 to 99.25 percent Bi10Sb30Te60 and 3 to .25 percent Ag25Sb25Te50 or 99 percent Bi40Te48Se12 to 1 per- cent Ag25Sb25Te50. The mixture is then heated in -22- a quartz tube to an elevated temperature and then drawn through a temperature gradient for cooling. The alloys include in the grain boundary re- gions (16) various phases of silver and telluri- um. The silver containing phases establish low resistance current paths through the crystallites to provide the alloy with high electrical conduc- tivity. The disorder of the grain boundaries (14) and the non-highly electrical conductive phases of the grain boundary regions (16) provide low thermal conductivity desired for thermoelectric applications. Also disclosed are alloys doped with a dopant such as tellurium iodide to form thermoelectric alloys having maximized S2o products. -23-

419580

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