The present invention provides thermoelectric conversion elements and thermoelectric conversion modules which are possible to effectively use oxide materials having high Seebeck coefficient, and excellently improve their outputs. The present invention provides thermoelectric conversion elements which comprise at least a charge transport layer, thermoelectric conversion material layers and electrodes, wherein the charge transport layer comprises a graphite treated to dope charge-donating materials so that the graphite has an n-type semiconductor property, or a graphite treated to dope charge-accepting materials so that the graphite has a p-type semiconductor property, and provides thermoelectric conversion modules using the thermoelectric conversion elements.

The method for producing an electrically conductive polymer material includes: a preparing step of providing a polymer film formed from an oriented polymeric semiconductor; and a doping step of introducing a first ion into the polymer film, in the doping step, a treatment liquid, which is obtained by dissolving, in an ionic liquid including the first ion having the opposite polarity to carriers to be injected into the polymeric semiconductor by doping in the form of a cation and an anion or an organic solvent having dissolved therein a salt including the first ion, a dopant which has the same polarity as that of the first ion and which oxidizes or reduces the polymeric semiconductor, is allowed to be in contact with the surface of the polymer film to form an intermediate of a second ion formed by ionization of the dopant and the polymeric semiconductor by a redox reaction, and to replace the second ion in the intermediate with the first ion.

Thermoelectric module (200, 300) comprising: a substrate (201); a first material (205) of a first doping type forming a first leg extending on a surface of the substrate (201), the first leg comprising a first end oriented towards a first region of the surface and a second, opposite end oriented towards a second region of the surface; and a second material (203) of a second doping type forming a second leg extending on the surface of the substrate (201), the second leg comprising a first end oriented towards the first region of the surface and a second, opposite end oriented towards the second region of the surface, such that the first and second legs are substantially parallel to each other, wherein the first end of the first leg is in electrical connection with the first end of the second leg, and wherein the first and second doping types have opposite polarity, such that when a heat flux (209) is applied between the first region and the second region of the surface, a potential difference arises between the second end of the first leg and the second end of the second leg, and wherein the substrate (201), the first material (205), and the second material (203) are substantially transparent to visible light.

The present invention provides a thermoelectric conversion material having a considerably increased Seebeck coefficient, and a thermoelectric conversion device, a thermo-electrochemical cell and a thermoelectric sensor which include the material. The thermoelectric conversion material of the present invention includes a redox pair and a capture compound which captures only one of the redox pair selectively at low temperature and releases at high temperature.

A hydro-electrochemical power generator includes an interlayer having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a first electrode in contact with the first end of the interlayer, wherein the first electrode includes a first material that is a corrodible metallic material, a second electrode in contact with the second end of the interlayer, wherein the second electrode includes a second material that is a corrodible metallic material, and at least one heat source coupled to one of the first electrode and the second electrode and configured to apply a temperature gradient across the first end and the second end of the interlayer, and wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to output a non-zero electrical voltage in response to the application of the temperature gradient.

A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric polymer film includes steps as follows . A conductive polymer liquid and a plurality of carbon nanotubes are mixed to form a mixture. The mixture is coated on a substrate to form a film precursor. Two electrode parts are arranged on the film precursor. An electric field is applied to the film precursor through the two electrode parts at a room temperature, so as to change an arrangement of the plurality of carbon nanotubes, such that the thermoelectric polymer film is formed.

A lossy dielectric heat source transducer or other transducer can be formed using a multi-layer substrate, such as can include a power layer (to receive an applied electromagnetic input signal), a polyurethane or other polymeric electromagnetic energy absorption layer, and a coupling layer therebetween. The absorption layer can be doped with carbon or another dopant material to increase electromagnetic energy absorption. The coupling layer can be doped with barium titanate or another dopant material to focus electromagnetic energy passing through the coupling layer toward the absorption layer. Frequency-selective addressing of particular transducers can include using a plurality of planar resonators, which can be configured to resonate at the same or different specified frequencies of the applied electromagnetic input. Such addressing of such frequency-sensitive structures can permit location-specific actuation of one or more transducers.

A lossy dielectric heat source transducer or other transducer can be formed using a multi-layer substrate, such as can include a power layer (to receive an applied electromagnetic input signal), a polyurethane or other polymeric electromagnetic energy absorption layer, and a coupling layer therebetween. The absorption layer can be doped with carbon or another dopant material to increase electromagnetic energy absorption. The coupling layer can be doped with barium titanate or another dopant material to focus electromagnetic energy passing through the coupling layer toward the absorption layer. Frequency-selective addressing of particular transducers can include using a plurality of planar resonators, which can be configured to resonate at the same or different specified frequencies of the applied electromagnetic input. Such addressing of such frequency-sensitive structures can permit location-specific actuation of one or more transducers.

An optical fiber has an optical fiber core for high-power laser transmission, an optical cladding surrounding the optical fiber core, and at least one harvesting cell disposed around the optical cladding, where the harvesting cell includes an anode, a thermoelectric layer disposed adjacent to and electrically connected to the anode, and a cathode disposed adjacent to and electrically connected to the thermoelectric layer, and where the thermoelectric layer includes a polymer-based thermoelectric material.

A thermocouple for temperature measurement according to an embodiment may include a first wire of a first metallic material and a second wire of a second metallic material different from the first metallic material, a first section in which the first wire and the second wire are electrically insulated from each other, a second section in which the first wire and the second wire are connected to each other to form a measuring junction, a first layer of a thermally conductive and electrically insulating first material enclosing the second section, and a second layer of an ultrasonic-weldable second material enclosing at least part of the first layer.