Mg-Si based thermoelectric conversion material and manufacturing method thereof, sintered body for thermoelectric conversion, thermoelectric conversion element, and thermoelectric conversion module

摘要

Provided is a production method with high productivity, which is not susceptible to the occurrence of cracks and thus has high yield when a sintered body of a thermoelectric conversion material is produced or when a sintered body for a thermoelectric conversion part of a predetermined size is cut out of a sintered body, and which is capable of cutting a plurality of sintered bodies for thermoelectric conversion parts out of one sintered body in cases where the sintered body is large in size. Also provided are: an Mg-Si system thermoelectric conversion material which exhibits stably high thermoelectric conversion performance; a sintered body for thermoelectric conversion, which uses this Mg-Si system thermoelectric conversion material; a thermoelectric conversion element having excellent durability; and a thermoelectric conversion module. A method for producing an Mg-Si system thermoelectric conversion material according to the present invention comprises a step for heating and melting a starting material composition that contains Mg, Si, Sb and Zn. It is preferable that the contents of Sb and Zn in the starting material composition are respectively 0.1-3.0 at% in terms of atomic weight ratio, and it is also preferable that the total content of elements other than Mg and Si is 0.2-5.0 at% in terms of atomic weight ratio.