Room-temperature power generation of Ge-sensitized thermal cells with interdigitated array electrodes

Abstract

A semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell (STC) is a new thermal energy conversion technology that generates electricity using the redox reactions of electrolyte ions with thermally excited carriers in semiconductors. A characteristic feature of STC is the restoration phenomena of battery characteristics in heat due to the electrolyte ion diffusion. This study employed interdigitated array electrodes with extremely narrow electrode distances (several micro m) to clarify the role of ion diffusion, leading to electric power generation at an ambient temperature of 30℃.