tritium glow lights + solar cells possibilities?

[fleebell]

Some one has probably aready posted this somewhere but I can't find it so I'm going to.

You know those little tiny lights in gunsights and some new watches?   What would you get if you took two solar cells, face to face with a small amount of space , sealed the edges and use the same stuff that the lights use between them.   I think it's tritium gas and some phosphor coating on the inside of the glass tubes.    Put the phosper directly on the cells surface and have the gas beween them.    Most of those little lights are supposed to be good for about 10 years from manufacture.   I think you would get the equivalent of a 10 year powered fuel cell.  I know you would'nt get much power from a single dual cell setup but it would be easy to build a large bank made from them.  Done right you could just seal the whole bank and leave the edges of the cells open. That way when the gas wears out you could just have it recharged like an air conditioner system.   I don't believe the small amout of radiation the gas creates would escape the packaging of the entire bank of cells.  My only question is what it would do to the solar cells themselves and how fast it would degrade the operation of them or would it even effect them through the phospher coating(s)? 

Lee B

update:  The gas is tritium, not cesium as first thought

[mark australia]

I like this idea its so simple and easy to try (I think) Its simplicity is great.
This is great lateral thinking.
Mark

[fleebell]

I have been looking around the net and I think one of the tritium exit signs would make a perfect test case to experiment with, now all I have to do is find one somewhere used (meaning cheap) as they are pretty expensive new , I already have a small stack of the solar cells.

Green seems to be the predominent color output and thats also a good color for solar cells from what I can find out googling the subject.

I have also been wondering about the little chemical lights and using cells , They would not be expensive to experiment with.  You might make a good emergency type power source that way even if small.  It would last a long time in storage.  I think I might try this one as the corner store sells the light chem lights on the counter as keyrings

Lee B

[mark australia]

The only problem I see is the brightness of the light as solar cells need bright light and the cost of the gas.
Kind regards
Mark

[judah]

there is a patent on this allready!!!