Characteristics of a Pin-Fin Structure Thermoelectric Uni-Leg Device Using a Commercial n-Type Mg2Si Source

Mg2Si thermoelectric (TE) elements and modules were fabricated using a commercial polycrystalline Mg2Si source. A monobloc plasma-activated sintering technique was used to fabricate the TE elements and Ni electrodes. The TE modules were composed of n-type Mg2Si, using pin-fin structure elements, in order to achieve simple assembly and to realize stable operation at a temperature of similar to 800 K. The dimensions of each pin-fin element were 4.2 mm x 4.2 mm x 9.8 mm, and the TE module comprised nine pin-fin elements connected in series. The output characteristics of the pin-fin elements and the TE module were evaluated at temperature differences, Delta T, ranging from 100 K to 500 K. The observed values of open-circuit voltage (V (OC)) and output power (P) of a single pin-fin element were 98.7 mV and 50.9 mW, respectively, at the maximum Delta T of 500 K. The maximum V (OC) and P values for the TE module were 588 mV and 174.3 mW, respectively, at Delta T = 500 K.