Бета-вольтаикалық батареялар: Қуаттың жаңа көзі

Type of nuclear battery which generates electric current
devices that generate electricity directly from beta particles
A betavoltaic device (betavoltaic cell or betavoltaic battery) is a type of nuclear battery which generates electric current from beta particles (electrons) emitted from a radioactive source, using semiconductor junctions. A common source used is the hydrogen isotope tritium. Unlike most nuclear power sources which use nuclear radiation to generate heat which then is used to generate electricity, betavoltaic devices use a non thermal conversion process, converting the electron hole pairs produced by the ionization trail of beta particles traversing a semiconductor. Betavoltaic power sources (and the related technology of alphavoltaic power sources) are particularly well suited to low power electrical applications where long life of the energy source is needed, such as implantable medical devices or military and space applications. Some pacemakers in the 1970s used betavoltaics based on promethium, but were phased out as cheaper lithium batteries were developed. can be paired with relatively benign isotopes such as tritium, which produce less radiation. Unreliable source: date=August 2023 As early as 1973, betavoltaics were suggested for use in long term medical devices such as pacemakers. In 2019 a paper indicated the viability of betavoltaic devices in high temperature environments in excess of like the surface of Venus. Betavoltaics directly convert the kinetic energy of beta particles into electrical energy using semiconductor junctions. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors, which generate heat and then convert it to electricity, betavoltaics offer non thermal conversion. A prototype betavoltaic battery announced in early 2024 by the Betavolt company of China contains a thin wafer providing a source of beta particle electrons (either Carbon 14 or nickel 63) sandwiched between two thin crystallographic diamond semiconductor layers. The Chinese startup claims to have the miniature device in the pilot testing stage. Unveiled in January 2024, it is allegedly generating 100 microwatts of power and a voltage of 3V and has a lifetime of 50 years without any need for charging or maintenance. As radioactive decay cannot be stopped, sped up or slowed down easily, there is no way to "switch off" the battery or regulate its power output. For some applications this is irrelevant, but others will need a backup chemical battery to store energy when it isn't needed for when it is. This reduces the advantage of high power density.

Betavoltaic nuclear batteries can be purchased commercially. Devices available as per 2012 included a 100 μW tritium powered device weighing 20 grams

Although betavoltaics use a radioactive material as a power source, the beta particles are low energy and easily stopped by a few millimetres of shielding. With proper device construction (that is, proper shielding and containment), a betavoltaic device would not emit dangerous radiation. Leakage of the enclosed material would engender health risks, just as leakage of the materials in other types of batteries (such as lithium, cadmium and lead) leads to significant health and environmental concerns. Safety can be further increased by transforming the radioisotope used into a chemically inert and mechanically stable form, which reduces the risk of dispersal or bioaccumulation in case of leakage.

Due to the high power density of radioisotopes and the need for reliability above all else in many applications of betavoltaics, comparatively low efficiencies are acceptable. Current technology allows for single digit percentages of energy conversion efficiency from beta particle input to electricity output, but research into higher efficiency is ongoing. By comparison thermal efficiency in the range of 30% is considered relatively low for new large scale thermal power plants and advanced combined cycle power plants achieve 60% and more efficiency if measured by electricity output per heat input. If the betavoltaic device doubles as a radioisotope heater unit it is in effect a cogeneration plant and achieves much higher total efficiencies as much of the waste heat is useful. Similar to photovoltaics, the Shockley–Queisser limit also imposes an absolute limit for a single bandgap betavoltaic device.