Unlike burning fossil fuels, nuclear power plants rarely release greenhouse gases. They are safer than ever, and currently generate one-fifth of the U.S. electricity. However, nuclear power plants produce dangerous waste, and scientists are still looking for effective ways to manage this dangerous by-product. What if we can do more – if we can use it to create it More vitality?
Inspired by this idea, Ohio researchers developed a small battery powered by nuclear waste. They exposed scintillator crystals (a material that emits light when absorbing radiation) to gamma radiation (generated from nuclear waste). The crystal lamp then supplies power to the solar cell. The study was published in the Journal on January 29 Optical Materials: Xprove that the background level of gamma radiation can power small electrons, such as microchips.
“We are harvesting something that is considered waste, essentially trying to turn it into treasure,” lead author Raymond Cao said in a statement from Ohio State University, director of the Ohio State Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.
The team tested the battery prototypes with fiber 137 and cobalt 60, a common radioactive by-product of nuclear reactors. The battery uses Cesium-137 to generate 288 nmwatts, while the cobalt 60 produces 1.5 microwatts, which can power small sensors.
Although this seems to be a small win – the standard 10W LED bulb requires 10 million microwatts, while Cao and his colleagues believe their approach can be even higher by a watt scale (rather than a microwatt). Such batteries can be used in environments where nuclear waste is produced, such as nuclear waste storage pools. They have the potential to last long and require little regular maintenance.
“The nuclear battery concept is very promising,” said Ibrahim Oksuz, co-author of the study and Ohio National Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer. “There is still a lot of room for improvement, but I believe that in the future, this approach will provide itself with important space in the energy production and sensor industries.”
The researchers also pointed out that the structure of the scintillator crystal may affect the energy output of the cell, allowing the larger crystal to absorb more radiation and emit more light. Solar cells with larger surface areas will also absorb more light, resulting in more energy.
“This two-step process is still in its initial stages, but the next step involves generating larger watts by enlarging the structure,” Oksuz explained.
Currently, expanding this technology will be expensive and requires more research to refine the discovery. However, the study proves that with enough originality, one’s waste can indeed be another’s treasure, or in this case, an energy source.
