| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a sintered body which is formed of Co-Sb-filled skutterudite thermoelectric material that converts heat direct into electricity through a Seebeck effect, more improved in figure of merit, and lessened in thermal conduction. SOLUTION: Skutterudite thermoelectric material is composed of Sb- containing skutterudite compound crystal grains and metal oxide dispersed between grain boundaries and sintered into a sintered body. Metal oxide restrains crystal grains from growing in a sintering process, and a skutterudite compound is atomized into fine crystal grains which are 20μm or less in average crystal grain diameter. The fine crystal grains are increased in grain boundary areas, phonon scattering is enhanced, and the sintered body is lessened in thermal conductivity and enhanced in figure of merit. Rare earth metal oxide is made to serve as the above metal oxide. The skutterudite compound contains a filled skutterudite compound whose composition is represented by a structural formula, LnyFexCo4-xSb12 (where Ln denotes rare earth metal, 0<X<=4, 0<y<=1).
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