THERMOELECTRIC CONVERSION ELEMENT INCLUDING, IN THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL, SPACES OR BRIDGING SPACES SUCH THAT HEAT TRANSFER AMOUNTS ARE REDUCED AND WORKING SUBSTANCE FLOW IS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THOSE OF ORIGINAL THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL

摘要

The purpose of the present invention is to improve, by providing, in the terminals of thermoelectric materials and electrodes or the inside of the material, one or more spaces or either thin or fine line structures in spaces such that heat transfer or working substance (WS) flow is prevented from propagating, figure-of-merit of thermoelectric materials without the same. Thermal conductivity due to causes other than WS that can move within a thermoelectric conversion element can be reduced by providing the spaces, alternatively, microstructures in thermoelectric materials. If the terminal of thermoelectric material or surfaces facing the terminal of the thermoelectric material is modified and/or the steeple tips or steeples formed on the terminal, the potential barrier height for WS can be reduced or the tunnel potential barrier width can be reduced when WS leaps into the space from the surface of the steeple tips or the steeples.

主权项

1. A thermoelectric conversion element comprising;
one or more spaces between a terminal of thermoelectric material and another material facing each other: the one or more spaces disturbing heat transfer and working substance flow, wherein in these spaces, the widths of these spaces being larger than the width in which the heat transfer amount except for that due to the working substance being almost negligible, but the amount of the working substance flow being equivalent to or more than the amount of the working substance in original thermoelectric materials, by building some special shapes of structures on ends of those spaces, particles in electric field or in magnetic field, in the concentration diffusion field or in Josephson junction being easily released from their respective shape of structures, more reduction of thermal conductivity, of thermal stress damage or for the diffusion mixing of the material ions being yielded, and moreover and utilization of the heat generated by the movement of the working substance through the terminals or the surfaces.