A portable thermoelectric-power-generating module composed of oxide devices

High power density is a strong point of thermoelectric generation. Exploitation of this salient characteristic would make thermoelectric modules promising candidates for mobile power applications. Here we show how power can be generated using a small thermoelectric module composed of 140 pairs of oxide thermoelectric unicouples. The module weighs 19.8 g and its dimensions are 53 mm long, 32 mm wide, and 5.0 mm thick. The hot-pressed thermoelectric oxide bulk materials used were connected with a Ag paste, incorporating oxide powder, and Ag electrodes. The module's open circuit voltage increases with increasing hot-side temperature (T-H) and reaches 4.5 V at a T-H of 1072 K in air. No deterioration in output power was seen when power generation was carried out ten times at a T-H of 723 K with intermediate cooling to room temperature. The module was successfully used to charge a lithium-ion battery in a mobile phone. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.