Scintillator based nuclear photovoltaic batteries for power generation at microwatts level
A nuclear photovoltaic battery uses scintillator to convert radiation into visible light, which is then collected by a photovoltaic (PV) cell to generate electricity. If the radiation is gamma-rays emitted from external sources, the battery may also be referred as gammavoltaic battery. In this study...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Optical Materials: X |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590147825000038 |
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| Summary: | A nuclear photovoltaic battery uses scintillator to convert radiation into visible light, which is then collected by a photovoltaic (PV) cell to generate electricity. If the radiation is gamma-rays emitted from external sources, the battery may also be referred as gammavoltaic battery. In this study, a polycrystalline CdTe solar cell was optically coupled with a 2.0 cm × 2.0 cm × 1.0 cm Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (GAGG) scintillator, and the resulting device was tested using intense gamma radiation fields from a Cs-137 (1.5 kRad/h) and a Co-60 (10 kRad/h) irradiator. Measurements with Cs-137 provided a maximum power output (Pmax) of ∼288 nW, with a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of ∼1.22 μA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of ∼0.34 V. In contrast, Co-60 irradiator gave a Pmax of 1.5 μW, with a Jsc of ∼4.73 μA/cm2 and a Voc of ∼0.38 V. The CdTe was also paired with a Lutetium-Yttrium Oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystal and tested with the Cs-137 source. The experiment presents a scalable option to reach to higher power outputs by harvesting gamma radiation fields in many cases where high radiation field demands heavy shielding and is often regarded as unwanted waste. |
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| ISSN: | 2590-1478 |