CLATHRATE COMPOUND AND HIGH-EFFICIENCY THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL, MANUFACTURE THEREOF, AND THERMOELECTRIC MODULE USING THE HIGH-EFFICIENCY THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a clathrate compound which is expected to be applied to a high-efficiency thermoelectric material which satisfies three requirements of high thermal conductivity, a high Seebeck coefficient, and high electric conductivity and has a performance index exceeding 1. SOLUTION: A compound, consists principally of a clathrate grating 1 consisting principally of at least atoms of at least one kind from among periodic table IVB-group elements, doping atoms, included in grating gaps of the clathrate grating 1, of at least one kind from among periodic table IA-group, IIA-group, IIIA-group, IB-group, IIB-group, and IIIB-group atoms having masses larger than those of the constitution atoms of the clathrate grating 1, and at least one substitute atom which is substituted for at least some of the atoms constituting the clathrate grating 1, of at least one of periodic table IA-group IIA-group, IIIA-group, IB-group, IIB-group, and IIIB-group atoms.