Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Hirofumi Hazama

Ryoji Asahi

Masato Matsubara

Yumi Saiki

Akitoshi Suzumura

A thermoelectric element includes a thermoelectric member made of thermoelectric materials and having a through hole, a pipe inserted into the through hole for making fluid flow, and a soaking member provided to the side of the thermoelectric element. The pipe and the soaking member respectively also function as an electrode of the thermoelectric member. A surface of the soaking member includes a blackened surface and a mirror surface. A thermoelectric generation system includes a container having a lighting window, the thermoelectric element housed in the container, a fluid feeder for feeding fluid into the pipe, and a power consumption source that consumes electric power generated by the thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element is housed in the container so that the blackened surface is located under the lighting window.

Thermoelectric element and thermoelectric generation system

An electrode for a photovoltaic device includes a Mo layer and a sulfurization-resistant layer formed on the Mo layer. The sulfurization-resistant layer contains at least one element X selected from a group consisting of Nb, Ti, Ta, Au, V, Mn, and W. A molar ratio of the element X to Mo contained in the sulfurization-resistant layer preferably satisfies X/(Mo+X)&#x3e;about 0.5. A thickness (initial thickness) of the sulfurization-resistant layer before being exposed to sulfurizing atmosphere is preferably about 3 to about 200 nm.

Electrode for photovoltaic device

The present invention provides a thermoelectric material and a method of manufacturing it. The thermoelectric material contains a half-Heusler compound including a composition represented by: (TiA)(NiB)(SnC) where 0&#x2266;a&#x3c;0.1, 0&#x2266;b&#x3c;0.1 and 0&#x2266;c&#x3c;0.1; &#x2212;0.1&#x2266;x&#x2266;0.2 and 0&#x3c;y&#x2266;0.2; A is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group IIIa elements, group IVa elements (excluding Ti), group Va elements and rare earth elements; B is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group VIIIa elements (excluding Ni) and group Ib elements; and C is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group IIIb elements, group IVb elements (excluding Sn) and group Vb elements, wherein amounts of Zr substitution and Hf substitution at Ti sites of the half-Heusler compound are less than 1 at %, respectively.

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Nagoya, Japan

Hirofumi Hazama