Washington : Researchers at The Ohio State University have developed a battery that efficiently generates electricity from nuclear waste, offering a potential solution for repurposing radioactive materials.
Radioactive waste poses environmental and health risks and is difficult to dispose of. However, it also contains untapped energy. Scientists in the United States have explored this potential by creating a compact battery, measuring just four cubic centimeters, that converts nuclear energy into electricity using light radiation.
Despite using radioactive sources, the battery itself contains no radioactive materials, making it completely safe to handle.
The prototype was tested with cesium-137 and cobalt-60, two common byproducts of nuclear fission. The cesium-137 battery generated 288 nanowatts, while the cobalt-60 version produced 1.5 microwatts, enough to power small electronic sensors.
The process relies on converting gamma rays from nuclear waste into electricity through a combination of scintillator crystals and solar cells.
Engineers believe this method could be further developed to power microelectronic devices, with larger crystals capable of absorbing more radiation and generating additional electricity.
