A nuclear battery based on water

For the first time ever, researchers have succeeded in creating a more stable and efficient nuclear battery based on water, one that can contribute to many applications, and serve as a reliable energy source in vehicles and spacecraft.

[Translation by Dr. Nachmani Moshe]

From mobile phones, to cars, to flashlights, batteries play an important part in everyday life. Scientists and technology companies are constantly looking for ways to increase battery life and improve its efficiency. Now, for the first time ever, researchers from the University of Missouri have succeeded in creating a more stable and efficient nuclear battery based on water, one that could contribute to many applications, such as a reliable energy source in vehicles and in more complex fields such as space flights.

"Betavoltaics (betavoltaics, Wikipedia), which are batteries based on the nuclear decay of isotopes, have been studied since the XNUMXs as an energy source," said Jae W. Kwon, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Missouri. "Controlled nuclear technologies are not inherently dangerous. We already have many commercial uses of nuclear technologies in our daily lives, including fire detectors in bedrooms and emergency exit signage in buildings."

The battery uses an isotope called strontium-90 which encourages the production of electrochemical energy in an aqueous solution. A titanium dioxide electrode (a substance commonly used in suntan cream) in a nanometer structure with a platinum coating efficiently collects and converts energy into electrons. "The water is used as a buffer and the plasmons generated at the surface of the device proved to be very valuable in increasing the efficiency of the battery," said the lead researcher. "The ionic solution does not freeze easily at low temperatures and therefore it will be able to work well in a wide variety of applications, including batteries for vehicles and spacecraft," said the lead researcher.

The research findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature as part of an article titled: "Plasmon-assisted radiolytic energy conversion in aqueous solutions".
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