These nuclear batteries carry out more efficient energy conversion than available betavoltaic batteries, ¬and their long lifespans allow them to power implantable medical devices, including pacemakers. Nuclear batteries include radiation sources that work with other materials to convert decay energy into electrical current. A typical betavoltaic battery has a layered structure of alternating plates of radioisotopes, decay energy converters, and photovoltaic (PV) cells. However, the interfacing of these layers contributes to significant efficiency loss.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed nuclear batteries utilizing radionuclide nanoencapsulation that do not require alternating sheets. The batteries are conformable, easy to manufacture, and offer more efficient energy conversion, making them attractive components for biotechnology applications. The lifespan of an in vivo bioimplant fitted with one of these batteries can exceed one hundred years.
Nuclear batteries that carry out more efficient energy conversion to power implantable medical devices, including pacemakers
These highly efficient nuclear batteries encapsulate select radioactive nuclides within materials that can either convert or multiply radioisotope decay emissions into photons, which then interact with organic photovoltaic (PV) cells. The organic PV electricity generation mechanism is similar to conventional solar cells with the exception that the decay of a radioisotope initiates the photons. Depending on the source radionuclide, the decay process used in these batteries can be beta (electron emission) or gamma (photon emission). Doping the radioactive beta or gamma emitters directly into the photon conversion material and dispersing the particles into a translucent medium eliminates several of the major efficiency loss mechanisms found in traditional multi-layered designs.
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