Nuclear battery: a source of environmentally friendly energy

Abstract

Purpose The nuclear battery technology depends on the spontaneous decay of the atomic nuclei of radioactive isotopes to generate electricity. One of the merits of a nuclear battery is its high-energy density, which can be around ten times higher than that of hydrogen fuel cells and a thousand times more than that of an electrochemical battery. A nuclear battery has an extremely long life and low maintenance and running costs coupled with applications in remote and hostile environmental environments. The rise of silicon technology has intensified research activities in the area of nuclear batteries. The paper aims to present a general overview of a nuclear battery. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a general overview of a nuclear battery and will significantly reduce reliance on non-renewable energy source. The requirement for long-lived power supplies have necessitated the pragmatic shift toward the realization of cleaner, safer and renewable energy sources. Findings Nuclear battery is a safe enabling technology for many applications including military and commercial applications. They have very long operating life under harsh environmental conditions. These cells demonstrate high potential for use in low power applications under a broad range of temperatures. Originality/value The nuclear battery technology has been receiving considerable in-depth research for applications that require long-life power sources.

Nuclear batteries: Current context and near‐term expectations

“…In any case, even if innovative architectures with several attractive characteristics and new material systems are being formulated, the use of static RTGs finds a limit in their low efficiency, typically ranging from 4% to 6% 42 . Better performances in terms of conversion efficiency are exhibited by dynamic energy conversion systems, in particular by the “Stirling Radioisotope Generators” (SRG) based on rotating engines with closed‐cycle fluids able to transform heat into electrical power.…”

Power Source based on Al-=SUB=-0.8-=/SUB=-Ga-=SUB=-0.2-=/SUB=-As/GaAs photovoltaic converter and YPO-=SUB=-4-=/SUB=- : Eu/(-=SUP=-238-=/SUP=-Pu) radioluminescent emitter

“…In various fields of modern technology and nanoelectronics there is a need for low-current, with an extra long service life electric power sources. In this regard, much attention is paid to the development and improvement of radioisotope energy sources (RES), in which the energy of radioactive decay of isotopes is converted into electrical energy [1][2][3][4]. Such energy sources can be used in nanoelectronics, medicine, instrumentation, in complicated hard-to-reach or aggressive environments, nuclear and chemical industries.…”

High Efficiency Formamidinium‐Cesium Perovskite‐Based Radio‐Photovoltaic Cells

“…Nuclear batteries are ideal as energy sources for unattended miniaturized systems used in the terrestrial, deep sea, and space environments, owing to their advantages, such as expected long service life, no need for external energy input, and high environmental stability. [1][2][3][4][5] Nuclear batteries made of radiovoltaic (RV) cells, directly convert the decay energy of a radioisotope into electrical energy by using semiconductor diodes, which are usually adopted because of their compact size and high theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE). [6][7][8][9] However, they usually undergo remarkable degradation of output performance due to the inevitable radiation damage of semiconductor material under high-energy radioisotope radiation.…”