Provided is a thermoelectric material having an intermetallic compound in an Al—Fe—Si system as a main component, exhibiting a thermoelectric effect in a temperature range from a room temperature to 600° C., and becoming a p-type or n-type thermoelectric material by a composition control, a manufacturing method thereof, and a thermoelectric power generation module thereof. A thermoelectric material according to the present invention including at least Al, Fe, and Si and represented by a general formula of Al.sub.12+p−qFe.sub.38.5+3qSi.sub.49.5−p−2q (where p satisfies 0≤p≤16.5 and q satisfies −0.34≤q≤0.34) and including a phase represented by Al.sub.2Fe.sub.3Si.sub.3 as a main phase.

Methods of making various fibers are provided including co-axial fibers with oppositely doped cladding and core are provide; hollow core doped silicon carbide fibers are provided; and doubly clad PIN junction fibers are provided. Additionally methods are provided for forming direct PN junctions between oppositely doped fibers are provided. Various thermoelectric generators that incorporate the aforementioned fibers are provided.

The thermoelectric module includes a first thermoelectric element including a first thermoelectric conversion layer and a first electrolyte layer stacked each other along a stacked direction, a second thermoelectric element stacking the first thermoelectric element in the stacked direction and including a second thermoelectric conversion layer and a second electrolyte layer stacked each other along the stacked direction, a first current collector located on a side of one edge in the stacked direction, a second current collector located on a side of another edge in the stacked direction, and an electron transmission layer located between the first thermoelectric element and the second thermoelectric element in the stacked direction.

The present invention relates to a thermoelectric measurement system based on a liquid eutectic gallium-indium electrode, whereby thermoelectric performance can be measured with excellent efficiency and high reproducibility even without construction of expensive equipment, various organic molecules as well as large-area molecular layers can be measured, and various thermoelectric materials, such as inorganic materials and inorganic-organic composite materials, can be measured. In addition, non-toxic liquid metal EGaIn is used as an upper electrode, so the damage to even a substance of measurement in the form of a nano-level thin film can be minimized, and the measurement of thermoelectric performance can be performed on even nano- to micro-level organic thermoelectric elements. Therefore, the thermoelectric measurement system is widely utilized across the thermoelectric element industry.

A thermoelectric device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first insulating layer, a first substrate disposed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer disposed on the first substrate, a first electrode disposed on the second insulating layer, a P-type thermoelectric leg and an N-type thermoelectric leg disposed on the first electrode, a second electrode disposed on the P-type thermoelectric leg and the N-type thermoelectric leg, a third insulating layer disposed on the second electrode, and a second substrate disposed on the third insulating layer, wherein the first insulating layer includes a first aluminum oxide layer, the first substrate is an aluminum substrate, the second substrate is a copper substrate, the first substrate is a low temperature portion, and the second substrate is a high temperature portion.

This method is for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion module in which a first conductive member, a thermoelectric conversion element, a second conductive member are joined by joining members, the method comprising: a step for, after applying on the first conductive member a first paste including metal particles, disposing the thermoelectric conversion element on the first paste, and compressing and spreading the first paste; a step for disposing the second conductive member, after applying a second paste including metal particles in a controlled amount, on the thermoelectric conversion element, and compressing and spreading the second paste; and a step for sintering the first and the second pastes to obtain joining members.

A thermoelectric transducer includes a substrate, a thermoelectric film on the substrate, a first electrode on the substrate, and a second electrode on the substrate, the second electrode being different from the first electrode in work function. The first electrode and the second electrode are in contact with the same side of the thermoelectric film. The outer edge of the thermoelectric film is located inner than the outer edge of the substrate.

An n-type thermoelectric conversion material expressed in a chemical formula X.sub.3-xX′.sub.xT.sub.3-yCu.sub.ySb.sub.4 (0≦x<3, 0≦y<3.0, and x+y>0), the X includes one or more element(s) of Zr and Hf, the X′ includes one or more element(s) of Nb and Ta, and the T includes one or more element(s) selected from Ni, Pd, and Pt, while including at least Ni, the n-type thermoelectric conversion material expressed in the chemical formula X.sub.3-xX′.sub.xT.sub.3-yCu.sub.ySb.sub.4 has symmetry of a cubic crystal belonging to a space group I-43d.

A cross-plane flexible micro-TEG with hundreds of pairs of thermoelectric pillars formed via electroplating, microfabrication, and substrate transferring processes is provided herein. Typically, fabrication is conducted on a Si substrate, which can be easily realized by commercial production line. The fabricated micro-TEG transferred to the flexible layer from the Si substrate. Fabrication methods provided herein allow fabrication of main TEG components including bottom interconnectors, thermoelectric pillars, and top interconnectors by electroplating. Such flexible micro-TEGs provide high output power density due to high density of thermoelectric pillars and very low internal resistance of electroplated components. The flexible micro-TEG can achieve a power per unit area of 4.5 mW cm.sup.−2 at a temperature difference of ˜50 K, which is comparable to performance of flexible TEGs developed by screen printing. The power per unit weight of flexible TEGs described herein is as high as 60 mW g.sup.−1, which is advantageous for wearable applications.

A thermoelectric conversion device including an n-type thermoelectric converter, a p-type thermoelectric converter, a high temperature-side electrode with which one end of the n-type thermoelectric converter and one end of the p-type thermoelectric converter are put into contact, a first low temperature-side electrode in contact with another end of the n-type thermoelectric converter, and a second low temperature-side electrode in contact with another end of the p-type thermoelectric converter, wherein in the n-type thermoelectric converter, the side in contact with the high temperature-side electrode is composed of a carrier generation semiconductor containing Mg.sub.2Sn, and in the n-type thermoelectric converter, the side in contact with the first low temperature-side electrode is composed of a carrier transfer semiconductor containing Mg.sub.2Si.sub.1-xSn.sub.x, wherein 0.6≦x≦0.7, and a first n-type dopant.