A thermocouple is provided that can measure a temperature of a material in a high temperature range of 1500° C. or higher with high accuracy at low cost. The thermocouple includes a first conductive member and a second conductive member. The first conductive member and the second conductive member are connected to each other to form a temperature sensing junction. The first conductive member contains a first conductive ceramic containing zirconium diboride and/or titanium diboride silicon carbide, a sintering agent, and unavoidable impurities. In the first conductive ceramic, the content of the silicon carbide is 5 mass % or more and 40 mass % or less. The second conductive member contains a second conductive ceramic containing boron carbide as a main constituent material.

The present invention provides a thermoelectric material excellent in heat resistance with less degradation of thermoelectric characteristics even in a high temperature environment. The thermoelectric material comprises a compound represented by a chemical formula Mg.sub.2Si.sub.1−xSn.sub.x(0<x<1) wherein at least one of the Si site and the Sn site of the compound is replaced with at least one of Sb and Bi, and an added Fe.

A new and useful oxide semiconductor film with enhanced p-type semiconductor property and the method of manufacturing the oxide semiconductor film are provided. A method of manufacturing an oxide semiconductor film including: generating atomized droplets by atomizing a raw material solution containing a metal of Group 9 of the periodic table and/or a metal of Group 13 of the periodic table and a p-type dopant; carrying the atomized droplets onto a surface of a base by using a carrier gas; causing a thermal reaction of the atomized droplets adjacent to the surface of the base under oxygen atmosphere to form the oxide semiconductor film on the base.

Polycrystalline magnesium silicide containing only carbon as a dopant and having carbon distributed at the crystal grain boundaries and within the crystal grains, a thermoelectric conversion material obtained using the polycrystalline magnesium silicide, a sintered compact, a thermoelectric conversion element, and a thermoelectric conversion module, and methods for producing polycrystalline magnesium silicide and a sintered compact.

Metallic nanoparticles and related methods of making and using the same are described herein. An aqueous synthesis method is used to create nanoparticle cores comprising alloys of two or more metals at varying metal:metal molar ratios. In some embodiments, the nanoparticle cores described herein form a homogeneous metal alloy. Alternatively, the nanoparticle cores form a heterogeneous metal alloy. The synthesis method can further comprise forming mixed metal oxide shells on the nanoparticle cores.

A thermoelectric conversion material is composed of a compound semiconductor including a plurality of base material elements, and includes: an amorphous phase; and crystal phases having an average grain size of more than or equal to 5 nm, each of the crystal phases being in a form of a grain. The plurality of base material elements include a specific base material element that causes an increase of a band gap by increasing a concentration of the specific base material element. An atomic concentration of the specific base material element included in the crystal phases with respect to a whole of the plurality of base material elements included in the crystal phases is higher than an atomic concentration of the specific base material element included in the compound semiconductor with respect to a whole of the plurality of base material elements included in the compound semiconductor.

A catheter has a cooling distal section for freezing tissue to sub-zero temperatures with one or more miniature reverse thermoelectric or Peltier elements, also referred to herein as micro-Peltier cooling (MPC) units or electrodes. The MPC units may be on outer surface of an inflatable or balloon member or a tip electrode shell wall that has a fluid-containing interior cavity acting as a heat sink. Each MPC unit has a hot junction and a cold junction whose temperatures are regulated by the heat sink, and a voltage/current applied to the MPC units. A temperature differential of about 70 degrees Celsius may be achieved between the hot and cold junctions for extreme cooling, especially where the MPC units include semiconductor materials with high Peltier co-efficients. An outer coating of thermally-conductive but electrically-insulative material seals the MPC units to prevent unintended current paths through the MPC units.

Provided is a method of simply producing high-quality graphite oxide. The present invention relates to a method of producing a carbon material composite containing graphite oxide and at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant, the method including: oxidizing graphite; mixing an aqueous dispersion obtained through the oxidizing, the aqueous dispersion containing graphite oxide dispersed therein, and the at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant; and purifying the carbon material composite.

A method for producing high-temperature sputtered stoichiometric TiN thin films. A substrate is placed in a sputtering chamber a Ti target to be sputtered and the substrate temperature is controlled to be between room temperature and about 800° C. The sputtering chamber is evacuated to a base pressure of 2×10.sup.−7 Torr or lower, The Ti target is presputtered under an Ar gas flow at a pressure of 2-15 mTorr in a radio frequency (RF) power of 50-200 W. The Ti is then sputtered onto the substrate in the presence of N.sub.2 and Ar gas flows under the same pressure and RF power, with the ratio of N.sub.2 to Ar favoring N to ensure that the film is nitrogen-saturated.

A thermoelectric generator includes a substrate and one or more thermoelectric elements on the substrate and each configured to convert a thermal drop across the thermoelectric elements into an electric potential by Seebeck effect. The thermoelectric generator includes a cavity between the substrate and the thermoelectric elements. The thermoelectric generator includes, within the cavity, a support structure for supporting the thermoelectric elements. The support structure has a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity of the substrate.