☢️ New battery converts nuclear waste radiation into electricity

• Researchers have developed a battery that converts radiation from nuclear waste into electricity.
• There are hundreds of thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel in the world, and the majority is stored unprocessed despite still retaining most of its energy.
• The technology may be particularly useful in environments where traditional power sources don't work, such as in deep seas or in space.

New method gives nuclear waste a second life

There are hundreds of thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel in the world, and the majority is stored unprocessed despite still retaining most of its energy. Now, researchers at Ohio State University have developed a new technology that can convert this waste into usable electricity, reports Focus.

The researchers have developed a battery that functions as a "radiation energy converter." The battery uses scintillation crystals that emit light when struck by gamma radiation from nuclear waste. This light is then converted into electricity using solar cells.

Battery performance and safety

When researchers tested the battery prototype with nuclear fuels cesium-137 and cobalt-60, it generated 288 nanowatts with cesium-137 and 1.5 microwatts with cobalt-60. This is enough to power small sensors.

Although the battery uses radiation that is approximately one hundred times stronger than X-rays, it contains no radioactive materials itself and is therefore harmless.

Applications and future prospects

The new battery could play a key role in special areas such as space travel or deep-sea research, where reliable and maintenance-free energy sources are required. Especially in environments where traditional power sources don't work, this technology can be valuable.

The battery could also be used in remote or hard-to-reach areas and offer a reliable power source without requiring regular maintenance, which is an advantage for research stations in polar regions or for satellites.

The technology can also be used in storage spaces for radioactive materials, where high radiation levels already exist.

Production challenges

The new technology is promising, but as is often the case, costs must be reduced to make the batteries available on a large scale. Manufacturing on a larger scale can be expensive, and it remains to be seen how researchers will develop these batteries to create more powerful power sources.

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