Gaseous-phase ionizing radiation generator
AssigneeInovl, Inc.
InventorsFrank E Gordon, Harper John Whitehouse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gaseous-phase ionizing radiation generator for the voltage controlled production, flux, and use of one or more forms of ionizing electromagnetic and/or particulate radiation including: embodiments to collect and convert the particulate radiation that is generated by the radiation generator into electricity; embodiments that generate electricity from the ionized gas within the radiation generator by means of an auxiliary electrode structure composed of interdigitated individual electrodes of alternating work function; and a method or procedure for the fabrication and the activation of at least one working electrode composed in part of a metal hydride host material that is not formally considered to be radioactive.
Claims28
A gaseous-phase ionizing radiation generation device comprising:
- a gas or vapor or a combination thereof containing at least hydrogen including the isotopes and ions of hydrogen;
- at least one counter-electrode and at least one working electrode, said working electrode being formed of a hydrogen host material;
- a vessel to confine said gas or vapor, said vessel also containing said counter and working electrodes, said counter and working electrodes being physically separated from one another and positioned within the said vessel so as to lie in fluidic contact with said gas or vapor;
- and
- a source of electrical current or electrical potential in electrical contact with said counter and working electrodes, said electrical current or potential causing an electric field to be produced between said counter and working electrodes for causing the hydrogen ions contained in said gas or vapor to be transmitted toward said working electrode such that the hydrogen ions are diffused from said gas or vapor into and are occluded within the hydrogen host material of said working electrode, whereby ionizing radiation is produced by and emitted from said hydrogen host material so as to ionize said gas or vapor confined by the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.