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Title: Rare earth-doped materials with enhanced thermoelectric figure of merit

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1320791

A thermoelectric material and a thermoelectric converter using this material. The thermoelectric material has a first component including a semiconductor material and a second component including a rare earth material included in the first component to thereby increase a figure of merit of a composite of the semiconductor material and the rare earth material relative to a figure of merit of the semiconductor material. The thermoelectric converter has a p-type thermoelectric material and a n-type thermoelectric material. At least one of the p-type thermoelectric material and the n-type thermoelectric material includes a rare earth material in at least one of the p-type thermoelectric material or the n-type thermoelectric material.

Research Organization:
RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Assignee:
RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE (Research Triangle Park, NC)
Patent Number(s):
9,437,796
Application Number:
13/725,156
OSTI ID:
1320791
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2012 Dec 21
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (3)

Nanostructured bulk thermoelectric material patent-application June 2006
Donorlike behavior of rare-earth impurities in PbTe journal July 1998
Improvement in the Thermoelectric Figure of Merit by La/Ag Cosubstitution in PbTe journal April 2009