The radioisotopic battery based on radio-voltaic effect

The radio-voltaic effect is investigated to be applied radioisotopic batteries in this work. The collection rates of the electron-hole pairs are 94 percent for the alpha particles emitted by²³⁹Pu source and 65 percent for the beta particles emitted by⁹⁰Sr-⁹⁰Y source. The maximum energy conversion efficiency got by the silicon element is about 16%. A prototype radioisotopic battery with¹⁴⁷Pm beta sources is constructed. Its maximum short-circuit current and off voltage are about 2 A and 190 mV respectively. The experimental data suggest that the life of the prototype battery may be more than three years.