A p-type thermoelectric material according to one aspect of the present invention is configured such that at least any one of a Mg site, a Si site, a Sn site and/or a Ge site in a compound composed of magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), tin (Sn) and germanium (Ge) is substituted with any one or more elements selected from the group consisting of alkali metals of group 1A and gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca) and gallium (Ga) of group 1B.

Methods and processes to fabricate thermoelectric materials and more particularly to methods and processes to fabricate nano-sized doped silicon-based semiconductive materials to use as thermoelectrics in the production of electricity from recovered waste heat. Substantially oxidant-free and doped silicon particulates are fractured and sintered to form a porous nano-sized silicon-based thermoelectric material.

An adverse event-resilient network system consisting of autonomously powered and mobile nodes in communication with each other either through radio, light or other electromagnetic signals or through a physical connection such as through wiring, cables or other physical connected methods capable of carrying information and communication signals. The nodes powered by an energy generator comprising multiple data, information and voice gathering, receiving and emitting devices as well as mechanical, optical and propulsion devices.

The present disclosure provides a thermoelectric conversion material having a composition represented by a chemical formula of Li.sub.2−a+bMg.sub.1−bSi. In this thermoelectric conversion material, either requirement (i) in which 0≤a≤0.0001 and 0.0001≤b≤0.25-a or requirement (ii) in which 0.0001≤a≤0.25 and 0≤b≤0.25-a is satisfied. The thermoelectric conversion material has an Li.sub.8Al.sub.3Si.sub.5 type crystalline structure.

A thermoelectric device includes a semiconductor stacked thermoelectric thin film including a first high-purity layer composed of SiGe as a main material and a composite carrier supply layer formed on the first high-purity layer. The composite carrier supply layer includes a second high-purity layer and third high-purity layer composed of Si as a main material, and a carrier supply layer held between the second and third high-purity layers and composed of SiGe as a main material. The carrier supply layer is a P-type carrier supply layer to which an additive of a group XIII element is added or a N-type carrier supply layer to which an additive of a group XV element is added.

Systems and methods are provided for generating electric power using low grade thermal energy from a vehicle. The methods may include surrounding at least a portion of a coolant conduit system with a flexible thermo-electrochemical cell including a nanoporous cathode electrode, a nanoporous anode electrode, and an electrolyte. A coolant fluid may be circulated through the coolant conduit system, which is in thermal communication with a power generating unit, such as an internal combustion engine or fuel cell stack. The method includes maintaining a temperature gradient in the electrolyte solution by contacting the anode electrode with the coolant conduit system, and exposing the cathode electrode to a temperature lower than a temperature of the coolant conduit system. Generated electrical charges can be collected for subsequent use.

A method of forming a thermal barrier coating is disclosed. The method may include providing a solution containing strontium and niobium and applying the solution to a substrate via a chemical solution deposition process to form a first film layer on the substrate. The method may further include pyrolyzing the first film layer and annealing the first film in an air atmosphere to form a strontium niobate coating.

A thermoelectric conversion material (10) according to an embodiment includes a plurality of parent-phase particles (22) and nanoparticles (30). The parent-phase particles (22) have a crystalline structure. Each of the nanoparticles (30) includes an oxide and exists at an interface between the parent-phase particles (22). The nanoparticles (30) include at least one element that constitutes the crystalline structure. When a range of 6 μm×4 μm of the thermoelectric conversion material (10) is observed with a scanning electron microscope to acquire one sheet of cross-sectional observation image, an average particle diameter d, which is an average of an equivalent circle diameter of a particle group including the parent-phase particles (22) and the nanoparticles (30) which are observed on the cross-sectional observation image, is equal to or more than 100 nm and equal to or less than 1000 nm.

The invention relates to the use of thermo-compression bonding (TCB) for bonding electrically conductive contacts to thermoelectric material pieces, respective processes and thermoelectric modules which are suitable for fitting in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a polysilicon layer fixed to the semiconductor substrate, and a silicon nitride layer in contact with the polysilicon layer, wherein the polysilicon layer includes an n-type layer and a p-type layer in contact with the n-type layer; a semiconductor device manufacturing method includes forming the polysilicon layer covering at least one hydrogen-containing layer, and heating the polysilicon layer and the hydrogen-containing layer.