Audio Transcript:
What if your batteries really kept going and going and going?
Imagine that!
(SOUND: heartbeat)
Changing a battery is usually a cinch. But batteries for sensors on bridges,
medical implants, or satellites can be another story. Now scientists are
designing a "beta-battery," which would rarely -- if ever -- need changing. The
beta-batteries being studied are fueled by tritium, a radioactive isotope which
releases electrons as it decays. These electrons are captured and turned into
electricity by porous silicon semiconductors -- almost exactly like solar cells
convert sunlight! The silicon is etched with a network of deep pores that
effectively capture those decay electrons. The radiation is contained inside a
sealed case.
A tritium powered battery may last several years. But one powered by nickel
sixty-three, another radioactive isotope, may last for decades. Larry Gadeken,
beta-battery's designer, describes yet another feature.
Gadeken: "The tritium radioactive nucleus that I'm using is
a waste product of the nuclear power cycle -- the first positive use of
radioactive waste."
That may be the biggest advantage of all. I'm Eric Phillips.
"Imagine That!" covers projects funded by the U.S. government's National
Science Foundation. Federally-sponsored research -- brought to you by you! Learn
more at www.nsf.gov.
