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Researchers at a US university have developed a battery capable of converting fission products from spent nuclear fuel into electricity through light emission, according to a study.
Using a combination of scintillator crystals, high-density materials that emit light when they absorb radiation, and solar cells, the team, led by researchers from The Ohio State University, demonstrated that ambient gamma radiation could be harvested to produce a strong enough electric output to power microelectronics, like microchips.
To test the battery, which is a prototype about four cubic centimetres small, researchers used two different radioactive sources, caesium-137 (Cs-137), and cobalt-60 (Co-60), some of the most significant fission products that come from spent nuclear fuel. The battery was tested at Ohio State’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.
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