Performance enhancement of thermoelectric material by composite and its mechanism investigation

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24560835
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Composite materials/Physical properties
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: LU Yun 千葉大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (50251179)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ITOI Takaomi 千葉大学, 工学研究科, 准教授 (50333670)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 複合効果 / 複合熱電材料 / 複合則 / 有効媒質理論 / 有限要素法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this project, analysis by finite element method (FEM) and experimental investigation of composite thermoelectric materials were performed from the view of approach of the microstructure controlling for enhancing performance of thermoelectric materials by increasing electric conductivity, decreasing/keeping thermal conductivity and increasing thermopower. From the results, the electric conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity are all able to be analyzed by the developed FEM model for composite thermoelectric materials. The electric conductivity was decreased by increasing the volume fraction of the composite metal in any of the FEM analysis and the experimental results. Also, volume fraction of the composite metal, in which the semiconductor behavior can be kept, decreased with temperature increase. The composite thermoelectric materials with high performance were obtained by the interaction between the factors and the mechanism was discassed.

Free Research Field

材料科学