By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-09-30 08:14:01 | Updated at 2024-09-30 11:28:54
3 hours ago
Chinese scientists say they have developed a nuclear-powered battery with a photovoltaic cell that could generate electricity for hundreds of years, at an overall efficiency thousands of times higher than its closest rivals.
According to a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, the researchers were looking for a way to harness alpha rays released by decaying radioactive isotopes, in a field where most advances have focused on beta radiation.
The increasing demand for clean energy solutions and small, long-lasting alternative power sources have sparked broad research interest in nuclear batteries but alpha-radioisotopes are considered the most likely contenders for a micronuclear battery.
This is because the high decay energy of alpha-radioisotopes – between four and six mega electron volts (MeV) – offers the potential to far outstrip beta-radioisotope devices, whose decay energies reach several tens of kiloelectron volts (keV) at best.
However, with their extremely short penetration in solids, alpha particles lose substantial energy through the self-absorption effect.
