Composite thermoelectric material

• US 5,973,050 A
• Filed: 05/27/1997
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Integrated Cryoelectronic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Integrated Cryoelectronic Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, George H, Martin, Robert A
• Primary Examiner(s): Cain, Edward J.
• Application Number:
  US08/864,062
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 524/439, 524/440, 524/441
• US Class Current: 524/439
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/08 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/777 Metallic powder or flake

Abstract

A composition of matter is disclosed in which nanophase metal particles are effectively dispersed in a polymer matrix so that hitherto unattainable thermoelectric properties are attained. Preferred polymers and metals are taught. A method of making the composition of matter useful as a themoelectric composite material using a conducting polymer matrix is disclosed as is a thermoelectric cooling/heating device which uses that composition.

Claims

1. A conductive composition of matter comprising a dispersion of nanophase metal particles in an intrinsically conducting polymer.

2. The composition of matter of claim 1 wherein said polymer is a conjugated polymer.

3. The composition of matter of claim 1 wherein the thermoelectric figure-of-merit is greater than 1.0.

4. A thermoelectric cooling and/or heating medium comprising:

i) a dispersion of nanophase metal particles in an intrinsically conducting polymer

ii) said conductive polymer characterized by a high inherent Seebeck coefficient and a low inherent thermal conductivity; and

iii) an effective amount of said nanophase metal particles effectively dispersed into and intimately associated with said polymer to establish a nanophase-metal/polymer, thermoelectric composite material;

whereby the electrical conductivity of said nanophase metal/polymer composite material is substantially increased without significant change in either said thermal conductivity or Seebeck coefficient.

5. The composite material of claim 4 wherein said polymer is a conjugated polymer.

6. The composite material of claim 4 wherein the thermoelectric figure-of-merit is greater than 1.0.

7. The composite material of claim 4 wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of polythiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, their substituted derivatives and similar polymers.

8. The composite material of claim 7 wherein said polymer is poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl).

9. The composite material of claim 8 wherein said polymer is regio-regular poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl).

10. The composite material of claim 4 wherein said nanophase metal particles are selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, platinum, palladium, aluminum, chromium, iron, antimony, tin, tantalum, gold, similar metals and mixtures thereof.

11. The composite material of claim 4 wherein said nanophase metal particles comprise nanophase silver particles made by the inert-gas-condensation process.

12. The composite material of claim 4 wherein said effective amount of said metal particles has a concentration of about 0.1 volume percent to about 34 volume percent.

13. The composite material of claim 4 wherein said effective amount of said metal particles has a concentration of about 0.1 volume percent to about 10 volume percent.

24. A thermoelectric device comprising:

i) at least one thermally conductive substrate;

ii) a layer of selected thickness of the thermoelectric composite material of claim 4, at least one side of said layer being in heat transfer contact with said at least one substrate.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) is greater than 1.0.

26. The device of claim 24 wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of:

polythiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene and their substituted derivatives.

27. The device of claim 24 wherein said nanophase metal particles are selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, platinum, palladium, aluminum, tantalum, chromium, iron, antimony, tin, gold, similar metals and mixtures thereof.

28. The device of claim 24 wherein said effective amount of said metal particles has a concentration of about 0.1 volume percent to about 34 volume percent.

29. The device of claim 24 wherein said effective amount of said metal powder has a concentration of about 0.1 volume percent to about 10 volume percent.

30. The device of claim 24 wherein said at least one thermally conductive substrate is metal.

31. The device of claim 30 wherein said thermally conductive metal substrate is copper.

32. The device of claim 30 wherein said at least one substrate is coated with diamond or diamond-like material.

33. The device of claim 24 wherein said thermoelectric composite material layer is in contact with substrates on opposing sides thereof.

34. The device of claim 33 wherein said substrates are coated with diamond or diamond-like material.

35. The device of claim 24 wherein said polymer in said composite material comprises poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5 diyl) and said nanophase metal particles comprise nanophase silver particles made by the inert-gas-condensation process.

36. The device of claim 35 wherein said polymer comprises a regio-regular poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5 diyl).

37. The device of claim 24 wherein electrodes are inserted into said thermoelectric composite material on opposing sides thereof while said material is in a non-solid state.

14. A composition of matter comprising a dispersion of nanophase metal particles in a matrix selected from the group comprising crystalline polymers, amorphous polymers, metals and dielectrics, said particles being intimately associated with the monomeric units of said polymers or intimately associated with the grains of said metals or the crystallites of said dielectrics.

15. The composite material of claim 14 wherein said polymer is a conducting polymer.

16. The composite material of claim 14 wherein said polymer is a conjugated polymer.

17. The composite material of claim 14 wherein the thermoelectric figure-of-merit is greater than 1.0.

18. A method of making a composition of matter characterized by a thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) greater than 1.0 comprising effective mixing of nanophase metal particles into a polymeric matrix characterized by a Seebeck coefficient greater than 100.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said effective mixing is carried out while said polymeric matrix is dissolved by a solvent into a solution and said solvent is removed to form said composition of matter.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing as said polymeric matrix a polymer selected from the group consisting of polythiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, their substituted derivatives and similar polymers, dissolving said polymer in an effective solvent producing a solution and effectively mixing therein said solution an effective amount of a nanophase metal powder selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, platinum, palladium, aluminum, tantalum, chromium, iron, antimony, tin, gold,similar metals, and mixtures thereof and removing said solvent to form said composition of matter.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said composition of matter is formed on a solid surface.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising stopping said solvent removal when a spreadable viscous mass has formed, spreading said mass in a layer on said surface and resuming said removal to form a dry layer of said composition of matter on said surface.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising providing a plurality of said dry layers on a plurality of said surfaces, removing said dry layers from said surfaces, stacking a selected number of said removed layers to a selected thickness, heating said thickness to the melting temperature of said polymer, mixing, and annealing to form a solid article of manufacture of said composition of matter.