Thermal transfer and power generation devices and methods of making the same

• US 8,039,726 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sander, Melissa Suzanne, Seker, Fazila, Zhang, An-Ping, Young, Craig Douglas, Wen, Shixue, Corderman, Reed Roeder, Sharifi, Fred
• Primary Examiner(s): Neckel; Alexa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mowla; Golam
• Application Number:
  US11/138,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20060266402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,336 Days
• Field of Search: 136/205, 136/203, 136/211, 62/32, 62/33, 438/64, 428/131
• US Class Current: 136/205
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1293 Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/12 operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/13 characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture

Abstract

A device includes a first thermally conductive substrate having a first patterned electrode disposed thereon and a second thermally conductive substrate having a second patterned electrode disposed thereon, wherein the first and second thermally conductive substrates are arranged such that the first and second patterned electrodes are adjacent to one another. The device includes a plurality of nanowires disposed between the first and second patterned electrodes, wherein the plurality of nanowires is formed of a thermoelectric material. The device also includes a joining material disposed between the plurality of nanowires and at least one of the first and second patterned electrodes.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first thermally conductive substrate having a first patterned electrode disposed thereon;

a second thermally conductive substrate having a second patterned electrode disposed thereon, wherein the first and second thermally conductive substrates are arranged such that the first and second patterned electrodes are adjacent to one another;

a thermally insulating template disposed between the first and second patterned electrodes;

a plurality of nanowires disposed within the thermally insulating template disposed between the first and second patterned electrodes, wherein the plurality of nanowires is formed of a thermoelectric material;

a coating disposed on sidewalls of areas of the thermally insulating template disposed between the plurality of nanowires; and

a thermally insulating material disposed on an etched portion of the thermally insulating template between the plurality of nanowires.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second thermally conductive substrates comprise an electrically insulating aluminum nitride ceramic, or an electrically insulating silicon carbide material.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric material comprises silicon germanium based alloys, or bismuth antimony based alloys, or lead telluride based alloys, or bismuth telluride based alloys, III-V, IV, V, IV-VI, and II-VI semiconductors, or any combination thereof.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the thermally insulating template comprises anodic aluminum oxide, or polycarbonate, or silica aerogel, or porous glass, or different combinations thereof.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the coating comprises, a polymer deposited by wetting, a self-assembling monolayer or multilayer deposited from vapor phase or solution, or a thin organic layer, or an inorganic layer deposited by layer-by-layer methods or electroless plating, or different combinations thereof.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the thermally insulating material comprises parylene.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a metal capping material disposed on the thermally insulating material and the plurality of nanowires.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanowires comprise one-dimensional nanowires, or zero-dimensional superlattice nanowires, or segmented nanowires.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of nanowires comprises a p-type nanowire, or an n-type nanowire that is deposited on a conductive substrate.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanowires is disposed within multiple layers between the first and second patterned electrodes.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of thermal transfer units, each unit having a plurality of nanowires disposed between the first and second patterned electrodes, wherein the plurality of units are electrically coupled between opposite substrates.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to generate power by substantially maintaining a temperature gradient between the first and second thermally conductive substrates.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein introduction of current flow between the first and second thermally conductive substrates enables heat transfer between the first and second thermally conductive substrates via a flow of charge between the first and second thermally conductive substrates.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the length of the nanowires ranges from about 1 μ

m to about 1000 μ

m, and the diameter of the nanowires ranges from about 1 nanometer to about 500 nanometers.

15. A vehicle, comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to generate power, or to provide cooling of components of the vehicle.

16. A turbine, comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to generate power via a temperature gradient between components of the turbine, or to provide heating or cooling of the components of the turbine.

17. A solid oxide fuel cell, comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is coupled to the solid oxide fuel cell for power generation through heat generated from the solid oxide fuel cell.

18. A cooling system, comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to provide cooling of an environment.

19. A heating system, comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to provide heating of an environment.

20. An aircraft engine, comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to generate power for use by components of the engine, or to provide cooling of the components of the aircraft engine.

21. The aircraft engine of claim 20, wherein the power is generated via a temperature difference between the engine airflow stream and the outside airflow stream.

22. A power source comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to generate power based at least in part upon a geothermal heat source.

23. A system, comprising:

a heat source;

a heat sink; and

a thermoelectric device coupled between the heat source and the heat sink and configured to provide cooling or to generate power, the device comprising;

a first thermally conductive substrate having a first patterned electrode disposed thereon;

a second thermally conductive substrate having a second patterned electrode disposed thereon, wherein the first and second thermally conductive substrates are arranged such that the first and second patterned electrodes are adjacent to one another;

a thermally insulating template disposed between the first and second patterned electrodes;

a plurality of nanowires disposed within the thermally insulating template disposed between the first and second patterned electrodes, wherein the plurality of nanowires is formed of a thermoelectric material;

a coating disposed on sidewalls of areas of the thermally insulating template disposed between the plurality of nanowires; and

a thermally insulating material disposed on an etched portion of the thermally insulating template between the plurality of nanowires.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the heat source consists of a vehicle.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the heat source is selected from a group consisting of a cooling system, a heating system, a solid oxide fuel cell and a geothermal source.