Patent Number: 051246104
Section: abstract

An electrical energy source is created by the combination of a light emitting polymer material having at least one light emitting surface emitting light energy of a specified frequency bandwidth and a photovoltaic cell having a light collecting surface and a pair of electrical contacts. The light collecting surface of the photovoltaic cell is optically coupled with the light emitting surface of the light emitting polymer material. An open-circuit voltage is generated between the pair of electrical contacts as a result of the absorption of emitted light energy from the light emitting polymer material by the photovoltaic cell. The light emitting polymer comprises a mixture of a polymer labelled with a tritium and an organic compound which emits light energy when subjected to radiation generated by the tritium. The organic compound is at least partly bonded to the polymer and the mixture is translucent at the specified frequency bandwidth of the light energy. Maximum absorption of the emitted light energy is achieved by the intimate optical contact between the light emitting surface and the light collecting surface, by matching the maximum absorption frequency bandwidth of the photovoltaic cell with the specified frequency bandwidth of the emitted light energy from the light emitting polymer material, and by the structural arrangement of the light emitting polymer material itself.