Nuclear batteries, also known as isotope batteries, it is the use of radioactive isotopes decay to release energy-carrying particles (such as alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays) and convert their energy into electrical devices. According to the voltage provided by the high and low, nuclear batteries can be divided into high-voltage type (hundreds to thousands of V) and low-voltage type (dozens of mV-1V or so) two types according to the energy conversion mechanism, it can be divided into direct conversion type and indirect conversion type. More specifically, including direct charging nuclear batteries, gas ionization nuclear batteries, radiation Volt effect energy conversion nuclear batteries, fluorescent photoelectric nuclear batteries, thermoelectric nuclear batteries, temperature difference nuclear batteries, thermal ionization nuclear batteries, electromagnetic radiation energy conversion nuclear batteries and thermodynamic conversion nuclear batteries. Among them, the direct charging nuclear battery, gas ionization nuclear battery belongs to the direct conversion type, the application is less. At present, the most widely used is the temperature difference type nuclear battery and heat engine conversion nuclear battery. Substantial progress in nuclear batteries began in the 1950s, due to its small size, light weight and long life, and its energy size, speed is not affected by the external environment of temperature, chemical reaction, pressure, electromagnetic field, etc., so it can work in a wide range of temperatures and harsh environments.
It is understood that when radioactive material decays, it is capable of releasing electrically charged particles which, if utilized correctly, can generate an electric current. Usually unstable (i.e., radioactive) atomic nuclei undergo decay and become more stable after emitting particles and energy. Nuclear batteries, which utilize the principle that the decay of radioactive material releases energy, have been used in military and aerospace applications before, but they tend to be very large. One of the major difficulties faced in the development of batteries in the past is that, in order to improve performance, the size of the battery is often larger than the product itself. By the United States University of Missouri Department of Computer Engineering Professor Kwon Jae-won (voice) led by the research group successfully for the "nuclear battery" slimming, the development of the "nuclear battery" small size but strong power. However, Professor Kwon Jae-wan group developed a nuclear battery is only slightly larger than a one-cent coin (1.95 centimeters in diameter, 1.55 millimeters thick), but the power is 1 million times that of ordinary chemical batteries. The University of Missouri research team said they developed a small nuclear battery is to find a suitable energy source for micro-electromechanical systems or nanoscale electromechanical systems. Finding small enough energy-sourcing devices for micro- or nanoscale electromechanical systems is a hot area of research, as are micro devices.
Another tantalizing aspect of nuclear batteries is that the isotopes that provide the power operate for very long periods of time, perhaps even up to 5,000 years.
Imagine a near future in which a battery the size of a dime is all that is needed to keep your cell phone going for 5,000 years without recharging.
The average nuclear battery is similar in appearance to an ordinary dry cell battery and is cylindrical in shape. Sealed in the center of the cylinder is a source of radioactive isotopes, and on the outside is a thermal ion converter or thermocouple-style transducer. The outer layer of the transducer is a radiation shielding layer, and the outermost layer is a metal cylinder shell.