NbFeSb based half-heusler thermoelectric materials and methods of fabrication and use

US10008653B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• University of Houston System · US
• U.S. Department of Energy · US

Inventors

• Giri Joshi · Austin, US
• Jian Yang · San Diego, US
• Michael Engber · Boston, US
• Tej Pantha · Waltham, US
• Martin Cleary · Somerville, US
• Zhifeng Ren · Houston, US
• Ran He · Foshan, CN
• Boris Kozinsky · Newton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 24, 2015
• Grant date: Jun 26, 2018
• Expiry date: May 30, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B22F2998/10
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A thermoelectric half-Heusler material comprising niobium (Nb), iron (Fe) and antimony (Sb) wherein the material comprises grains having a mean grain size less than one micron. A method of making a nanocomposite half-Heusler thermoelectric material includes melting constituent elements of the thermoelectric material to form an alloy of the thermoelectric material, comminuting (e.g., ball milling) the alloy of the thermoelectric material into nanometer scale mean size particles, and consolidating the nanometer size particles to form the half-Heusler thermoelectric material comprising at least niobium (Nb), iron (Fe) and antimony (Sb) and having grains with a mean grain size less than one micron.