DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION WITH A PYROELECTRIC POLYMER-

RECENT ADVANCES IN PYROELECTRICS HAVE PROVIDED MA- TERIALS THAT MAY BE USEFUL IN THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF HEAT INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY IN SPACE SYSTEMS. THESE MATERIALS WILL BE MANUFACTURED AT LOW COST AND WILL PROVIDE AN ULTRALIGHT-WEIGHT MEANS OF GENERATING ELECTRICITY (AND RADIATIVELY DUMPING REJECT HEAT) FROM THERMAL INPUT. THE OBJECTIVE OF PHASE I IS TO DETERMINE THE CONVERSION CAPABILITIES OF A RECENTLY DISCOVERED PYROELECTRIC MATERIAL UNDER THE THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL CYCLING CONDITIONS THAT WILL EXIST IN PYROELECTRIC ENERGY CONVERTERS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE CHARGE VERSUS APPLIED VOLTAGE (ELECTRICAL ENERGY GENERATION) CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PYROELECTRIC MATE- RIAL AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES (303 DEGREES K UP TO 393 DEGREES K) WILL BE MEASURED. PHASE I IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN AT LEAST A FACTOR OF THREE INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL OUTPUT ENERGY DENSITY FOR A PYROELECTRIC MATERIAL. THIS INCREASE, ADDED TO THE RECENT RAPID ADVANCES IN THIS FORM OF DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION, WILL PROVIDE A DEMONSTRATED MATERIAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF EXPERIMENTAL PYROELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICES. AFTER DEVELOPMENT, PYROELECTRIC CONVERSION MAY BE APPLIED TO VARIOUS SPACE POWER SYSTEMS IN- CLUDING SOLAR, NUCLEAR, AND WASTE-HEAT CONVERSION.