Issue 34, 2013
From the journal:

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Microbead-separated thermionic energy converter with enhanced emission current

Karl A. Littau,ab   Kunal Sahasrabuddhe,abc   Dustin Barfield,ad   Hongyuan Yuan,ac   Zhi-Xun Shen,abc   Roger T. Howeae  and  Nicholas A. Melosh*abd  

* Corresponding authors

a Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
E-mail: klittau@stanford.edu, kunals@stanford.edu, deedle@alumni.stanford.edu, hyyuan36@stanford.edu, zxshen@stanford.edu, rthowe@stanford.edu, nmelosh@stanford.edu

b Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, Stanford, California, USA

c Departments of Physics and Applied Physics, Stanford, California, USA

d Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford, California, USA

e Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford, California, USA

Abstract

The efficiency of thermionic energy converters is a strong function of the inter-electrode separation due to space-charge limitations. Here we demonstrate vacuum thermionic energy converters constructed using barium dispenser cathodes and thin film tungsten anodes, separated by size specific alumina microbeads for simple device fabrication and inter-electrode gap control. The current and device efficiency at the maximum power point are strongly dependent on the inter-electrode gap, with a maximum device efficiency of 0.61% observed for a gap on the order of 5 μm. Paths to further reductions in space charge and improved anode work function are outlined with potential for over an order of magnitude improvement in output power and efficiency.

Graphical abstract: Microbead-separated thermionic energy converter with enhanced emission current

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CP52895B
Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Jul 2013
Accepted
12 Jul 2013
First published
16 Jul 2013

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2013,15, 14442-14446

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Microbead-separated thermionic energy converter with enhanced emission current

K. A. Littau, K. Sahasrabuddhe, D. Barfield, H. Yuan, Z. Shen, R. T. Howe and N. A. Melosh, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2013, 15, 14442 DOI: 10.1039/C3CP52895B

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