A radioluminescent nuclear battery using volumetric configuration: 63Ni solution/ZnS:Cu,Al/InGaP

Russo, Johnny; Litz, Marc; Ray II, William; Smith, Brenda; Moyers, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2017.09.018

A radioluminescent nuclear battery using volumetric configuration: ⁶³Ni solution/ZnS:Cu,Al/InGaP

Journal Article · Thu Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Applied Radiation and Isotopes

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2017.09.018· OSTI ID:1820702

Russo, Johnny ^[1]; Litz, Marc ^[1]; Ray II, William ^[2]; Smith, Brenda ^[3]; Moyers, Richard ^[3]

Army Research Lab., Adelphi, MD (United States)
Army Research Lab., Adelphi, MD (United States); Oak Ridge Associated Univ., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Energy dense power sources are critical to the development of compact, remote sensors for terrestrial and space applications. Nuclear batteries using β^--emitting radioisotopes possess energy densities 1000 times greater than chemical batteries. Their power generation is a function of β^- flux saturation point relative to the planar (2D) configuration, β^- range, and semiconductor converter. An approach to increase power density in a beta-photovoltaic (β-PV) nuclear battery is described. By using volumetric (3D) configuration, the radioisotope, nickel-63 (⁶³Ni) in a chloride solution was integrated in a phosphor film (ZnS:Cu,Al) where the β^- energy is converted into optical energy. The optical energy was converted to electrical energy via an indium gallium phosphate (InGaP) photovoltaic (PV) cell, which was optimized for low light illumination and closely matched to radioluminescence (RL) spectrum. With 15 mCi of ⁶³Ni activity, the 3D configuration energy values surpassed 2D configuration results. The highest total power conversion efficiency ($$η_t$$) of 3D configuration was 0.289% at 200 µm compared 0.0638% for 2D configuration at 50 µm. The highest electrical power and ηt for the 3D configuration were 3.35 nW_e/cm² at an activity of 30 mCi and 0.289% at an activity of 15 mCi, respectively. By using 3D configuration, the interaction space between the radioisotope source and scintillation material increased, allowing for significant electrical energy output, relative to the 2D configuration. These initial results represent a first step to increase nuclear battery power density from microwatts to milliwatts per 1000 cm³ with the implementation of higher energy β^- sources.

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1820702

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 22823609

Journal Information:: Applied Radiation and Isotopes, Journal Name: Applied Radiation and Isotopes Journal Issue: N/A Vol. 130; ISSN 0969-8043

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited By (2)

Enhanced radioluminescent nuclear battery by optimizing structural design of the phosphor layer Xu, Zhiheng; Liu, Yunpeng; Zhang, Zhengrong International Journal of Energy Research, Vol. 42, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/er.3982	journal	January 2018
Radioluminescent nuclear battery containing CsPbBr ₃ quantum dots: Application of a novel wave‐shifting agent Chen, Wang; Tang, Xiaobin; Liu, Yunpeng International Journal of Energy Research, Vol. 43, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1002/er.4580	journal	May 2019

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