Ядерна батарея/Fallout 4
Professor Suh-Il In from Daegu Kyungbuk Institute of Science and Technology presented a prototype of a radiocarbon nuclear battery as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
The presentation took place as part of the American Chemical Society’s spring meeting, which runs from March 23-27. The big drawback modern lithium-ion batteries The problem with gadgets and electric cars is that they start to discharge faster during repeated use and need to be charged more and more often each time.
In this regard, researchers are considering radiocarbon as an alternative source for small, safe, and durable nuclear batteries that can operate for many decades or even longer without requiring additional recharging. The extraction of lithium for batteries, as well as the subsequent disposal of lithium-ion batteries, is associated with significant environmental pollution.
Amid growing demand for electronic devices, data centers and other computing technologies, there is a the need to create durable and safe batteries. According to Suh-Il Yin, the efficiency limit of lithium-ion batteries has actually already been reached.
Nuclear batteries generate energy from the radiation of radioactive elements. Not all such elements emit radiation harmful to living beings and the environment. Some radiation can be blocked by appropriate materials. For example, beta rays can be shielded by thin sheets of aluminum, making the use of beta voltaics potentially safe in nuclear batteries.
The developers, led by Suh-Il Yin, have created a prototype beta-electric battery using carbon-14. This is an unstable, radioactive form of carbon called radiocarbon. Radiocarbon is a byproduct of nuclear power plants. It is inexpensive, relatively safe, and recyclable.
Researchers believe that since radiocarbon has a very long half-life, such batteries can theoretically last for thousands of years. In this type of battery, electrons collide with a semiconductor and energy is generated. Semiconductors are a critical component of beta electric batteries because they are primarily responsible for energy conversion.
Researchers are currently exploring ways to use advanced semiconductor materials to improve energy generation efficiency. In their prototype, Suh-Il Yin and his fellow researchers used a titanium dioxide-based semiconductor, which is often used in solar cells, by enhancing its electrical conductivity with a ruthenium-based dye.
The researchers enhanced the interaction between titanium dioxide and the dye by treating it with citric acid. As the radiocarbon radiation interacts with the ruthenium-based dye, a cascade of electron transfer reactions called an electron avalanche is formed. This avalanche passes through the dye, and titanium dioxide effectively collects these electrons.
The radiocarbon in this prototype battery is also contained in the dye-sensitive anode and cathode. By treating both electrodes with the radioactive isotope, the researchers increased the amount of beta rays generated and reduced the distance-related beta energy loss between the two structures.
During the demonstration, the researchers also found that the beta rays emitted by the radiocarbon on both electrodes activated the ruthenium-based dye on the anode, generating an avalanche of electrons that was collected by a layer of titanium dioxide, passing it through an external circuit and generating electricity. Compared to the previous design with radiocarbon on the cathode only, the prototype with radiocarbon on the cathode and anode had a significantly higher energy conversion efficiency from 0.48% to 2.86%.
However, this design converts only a small fraction of the radioactive decay into electricity, making it much less efficient than lithium-ion batteries. According to Suh-Il Yin, further improvement of the emitter shape and the development of more efficient beta-ray absorbers can improve battery efficiency and increase electricity generation.
Source: TechXplore
