Pyroelectric Fusion

Pyroelectric fusion is a technique that uses pyroelectric crystals to generate a high strength electrostatic field that accelerates deuterium ions, and potentially tritium ions in future versions, into a metal hydride target also loaded with deuterium or tritium, giving the ions enough kinetic energy to undergo nuclear fusion on impact. The technique was first reported in April 2005 by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, using a heated pyroelectric crystal to ionize and accelerate the atomic nuclei toward the target. The apparatus consumes more energy than it produces, so it functions as a compact neutron generator rather than a power source, and it has drawn interest chiefly for that neutron-generation role rather than as a route to net energy fusion power.