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Title: Thermoelectric materials ternary penta telluride and selenide compounds

Patent ·
OSTI ID:873474
 [1]
  1. Richardson, TX
+ Show Author Affiliations

Ternary tellurium compounds and ternary selenium compounds may be used in fabricating thermoelectric devices with a thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of 1.5 or greater. Examples of such compounds include Tl.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5, Tl.sub.2 GeTe.sub.5, K.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5 and Rb.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5. These compounds have similar types of crystal lattice structures which include a first substructure with a (Sn, Ge) Te.sub.5 composition and a second substructure with chains of selected cation atoms. The second substructure includes selected cation atoms which interact with selected anion atoms to maintain a desired separation between the chains of the first substructure. The cation atoms which maintain the desired separation between the chains occupy relatively large electropositive sites in the resulting crystal lattice structure which results in a relatively low value for the lattice component of thermal conductivity (.kappa..sub.g). The first substructure of anion chains indicates significant anisotropy in the thermoelectric characteristics of the resulting semiconductor materials.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
ORNL940324
Assignee:
Marlow Industries, Inc. (Dallas, TX)
Patent Number(s):
US 6169245
OSTI ID:
873474
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (10)

Sur le ternaire TlGeTe: Etude structurale de la phase Tl2GeTe5 journal February 1990
Plane, zu ketten verknüpfte [Te5]6−-anionen im K2SnTe5 journal April 1983
Selection and Evaluation of Materials for Thermoelectric Applications II journal January 1997
Searching for New Thermoelectrics in Chemically and Structurally Complex Bismuth Chalcogenides journal January 1997
On the structure of Tl2GeTe5 journal August 1990
Electrical Properties and Figures of Merit for New Chalcogenide-Based Thermoelectric Materials journal January 1997
Neue polytelluridostannate (IV): Zur kenntnis von Rb2SnTe5 und Cs4Sn2Te7 journal March 1985
Thermoelectric Materials: New Approaches to an Old Problem journal March 1997
The use of semiconductors in thermoelectric refrigeration journal November 1954
Polyatomic Zintl anions of the post-transition elements journal October 1985

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thermoelectric
materials
ternary
penta
telluride
selenide
compounds
tellurium
selenium
fabricating
devices
figure
merit
zt
examples
snte
gete
rb
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crystal
lattice
structures
substructure
composition
chains
selected
cation
atoms
interact
anion
maintain
desired
separation
occupy
relatively
electropositive
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resulting
structure
results
value
component
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kappa
indicates
significant
anisotropy
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semiconductor
selenium compound
semiconductor materials
thermal conductivity
semiconductor material
crystal lattice
lattice structure
thermoelectric device
selected cation
desired separation
tellurium compound
thermoelectric material
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