Active thermal management of battery cells via thermoelectrics

A cell comprising:

• a casing;
• an anode disposed within the casing;
• a cathode disposed within the casing;
• an electrolyte disposed within the casing;
• a separator disposed within the casing, the separator being formed of a porous material that permits passage of ions between the anode to the cathode;
• an anode thermoelectric device disposed within the casing and connected in electrical series with the anode;
• a cathode thermoelectric device disposed within the casing and connected in electrical series with the cathode;
• a negative terminal connected in electrical series with the anode thermoelectric device, the negative terminal including a negative terminal portion that is external to the casing;
• and
• a positive terminal connected in electrical series with the cathode thermoelectric device, the positive terminal including a positive terminal portion that is external to the casing.

An apparatus comprising:

• an anode of a cell;
• a cathode of the cell;
• and
• a thermoelectric device operably coupled to a selected one of the anode or the cathode of the cell, the thermoelectric device being connected in electrical series with the selected one of the anode or the cathode of the cell, the thermoelectric device comprising a plurality of p-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements electrically connected in parallel and thermally coupled in parallel.