THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PHASE I RESEARCH IS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF BUILDING TWO COMPONENT THERMOVOLTAIC CELLS AND BATTERIES.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PHASE I RESEARCH IS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF BUILDING TWO COMPONENT THERMOVOLTAIC CELLS AND BATTERIES. SUCH THIN-FILM SOLID-STATE CELLS CAN BE CHARGED BY AN EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY, THEN, DISCHARGE THROUGH AN EXTERNAL RESISTANCE WITH HIGH SPECIFIC POWER AND SPECIFIC STORED ENERGY. THERE ARE NO SIDE REACTIONS SO CHARGE-DISCHARGE CYCLES CAN BE REPEATED RAPIDLY AND FOR AN INDEFINITE NUMBER OF CYCLES. THE APPROACH IS TO BUILD SINGLE CELLS AND STUDY THEIR ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY. THEN, BUILD BATTERIES CONSISTING OF STACKS OF SUCH CELLS IN PARALLEL, AND DETERMINE THE CHARGE/DISCHARGE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCH BATTERIES. FINALLY, BUILD STACKS OF SUCH BATTERIES CONNECTED IN SERIES TO OBTAIN HIGHER VOLTAGES, AND INVESTIGATE THE THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCH BATTERIES INSIDE OF A THERMAL ENCLOSURE, WITH OR WITHOUT HUMIDITY.