A magnesium-based thermoelectric conversion material includes a first layer formed of Mg.sub.2Si and a second layer formed of Mg.sub.2Si.sub.xSn.sub.1-x (here, x is equal to or greater than 0 and less than 1), in which the first layer and the second layer are directly joined to each other, and within a junction surface with the first layer and in the vicinity of the junction surface, the second layer has a tin concentration transition region in which a tin concentration increases as a distance from the junction surface increases. The junction layer is regarded as a site in which a tin concentration is found to be equal to or lower than a detection limit by the measurement performed using EDX.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a highly accurate and highly reliable physical quantity sensor wherein an error due to stress applied to a sensor element of the physical quantity sensor is reduced. This physical quantity sensor device is provided with: a hollow section formed in a Si substrate; an insulating film covering the hollow section; and a heating section formed in the insulating film. The sensor device is also provided with a detection element that detects the temperature of the insulating film above the hollow section, the detection element is provided with a first silicon element and a second silicon element, and the first silicon element and the second silicon element are doped with different impurities, respectively.

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 invention relates to a handle for a cooking vessel that includes at least one thermoelectric generator. The thermoelectric generator includes at least a first contact surface thermally connected to a heat sink and the heat sink is formed from a material that undergoes a phase transition when heated to temperatures varying between 50° C. and 70° C.

Provided is a compound which is mixed with a thermoelectric conversion material matrix as a phonon scattering material. The compound is represented by the following formula: ##STR00001##
(In the above formula, G.sup.1 represents a functional group capable of binding to the thermoelectric conversion material matrix; G.sup.2 independently represents G.sup.1 or CH.sub.3; 0≦m≦5; 0≦m′≦5; 6≦n≦1000; and 1/1000<(the number of G.sup.1/n)≦1).

Disclosed is a compound semiconductor material with excellent performance and its utilization. The compound semiconductor may be expressed by Chemical Formula 1 below:

M1.sub.aCo.sub.4Sb.sub.12-xM2.sub.x   Chemical Formula 1

where M1 and M2 are respectively at least one selected from In and a rare earth metal element, 0≦a≦1.8, and 0≦x≦0.6.

Disclosed are methods for the manufacture of n-type and p-type filled skutterudite thermoelectric legs of an electrical contact. A first material of CoSi.sub.2 and a dopant are ball-milled to form a first powder which is thermo-mechanically processed with a second powder of n-type skutterudite to form a n-type skutterudite layer disposed between a first layer and a third layer of the doped-CoSi.sub.2. In addition, a plurality of components such as iron, and nickel, and at least one of cobalt or chromium are ball-milled form a first powder that is thermo-mechanically processed with a p-type skutterudite layer to form a p-type skutterudite layer “second layer” disposed between a first and a third layer of the first powder. The specific contact resistance between the first layer and the skutterudite layer for both the n-type and the p-type skutterudites subsequent to hot-pressing is less than about 10.0 μΩ.Math.cm.sup.2.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric material having high thermoelectric conversion performance in a broad temperature range. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric material according to the present disclosure includes forming a mixture by weighing Cu and Se based on the following chemical formula 1 and mixing the Cu and the Se, and forming a compound by thermally treating the mixture: <Chemical Formula 1> Cu.sub.xSe where 2<x≦2.6.

Disclosed is a thermoelectric conversion material having excellent performance. The thermoelectric material according to the present disclosure includes a matrix including Cu and Se, and Cu-containing particles.

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.