IIT Studies Photon-Enhanced Thermionic Emission Cells with Simulation

Pierfrancesco Zilio, IIT, Italy

Researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are developing power generation systems based on electron emission, with potential applications in devices meant for outer space or intended to reside within the human body.

Several studies were conducted using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software to study the combination of photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) cells, a power-generating device in which a thermally-induced flow of charge releases electrons from a heated semiconductor.