|
Re: Tiny 'nuclear batteries' unveiled
|
Janette Sherman
|
Oct 09, 2009 08:23 PDT
|
--Apple-Mail-122--230804404
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset=US-ASCII;
format=flowed;
delsp=yes
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
And what happens whem they are disposed of in landfills?
Janette
www.janettesherman.com
On Oct 9, 2009, at 10:39 AM, Jim Phelps wrote:
| |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8297934.stm
Tiny 'nuclear batteries' unveiled
The team hopes to make nuclear batteries much smaller still
Researchers have demonstrated a penny-sized "nuclear battery" that
produces energy from the decay of radioisotopes.
As radioactive substances decay, they release charged particles that
when properly harvested can create an electrical current.
Nuclear batteries have been in use for military and aerospace
applications, but are typically far larger.
The University of Missouri team says that the batteries hold a
million times as much charge as standard batteries.
They have developed it in an attempt to scale down power sources for
the tiny devices that fall under the category of micro- and nano-
electromechanical systems (Mems and Nems).
The means to power such devices has been a subject of study as
vigorous as the development of the devices themselves.
Liquid solution
Nuclear batteries are an attractive proposition for many
applications because the isotopes that power them can provide a
useful amount of current for phenomenally long times - up to
hundreds of years or more.
As a result, they have seen use in spacecraft that are fired far off
into the cosmos. But for applications here on Earth, their size has
limited their use.
The Missouri team, led by Jae Wan Kwon, employed a liquid
semiconductor to capture and utilise the decay particles.
Most nuclear batteries use a solid semiconductor to harvest the
particles, but the particles' extremely high energies means that the
semiconductors suffer damage over time.
This means that to build a battery that can last as long as the
isotope inside, they must be built larger.
The team's solution incorporates a liquid semiconductor, in which
the particles can pass without causing damage. They are now working
to further miniaturise the batteries.
And although the whole idea hinges on the use of radioactive
materials, the devices are safe under normal operating conditions.
"People hear the word 'nuclear' and think of something very
dangerous," Dr Jae said.
"However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a
variety of devices, such as pacemakers, space satellites and
underwater systems."
===============================================
[DOEWatch] List is for news and learning about energy issues related
to DOE, energy, and industry. Fluoride and metal synergism's are
top issues for energy production and health. Subscribe via email,
send Email to: DOEWatch--@topica.com or via the
Web page at: http://www.doewatch.com
The [downwindersII] list is the companion discussion list to
[DOEWatch].
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes.)
|
--Apple-Mail-122--230804404
Content-Type: text/html;
charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">And what happens whem they are disposed of in landfills?<div>Janette</div><div><a href="http://www.janettesherman.com">www.janettesherman.com</a></div><div><br><div><div>On Oct 9, 2009, at 10:39 AM, Jim Phelps wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id="role_body" bottommargin="7" leftmargin="7" rightmargin="7" topmargin="7"><font id="role_document" color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial"> <div> </div> <div><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8297934.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8297934.stm</a></div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> <table class="storycontent" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <div class="mxb"> <h1>Tiny 'nuclear batteries' unveiled </h1></div></td></tr> <tr> <td class="storybody"><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="226" align="right"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img border="0" hspace="0" alt="Nuclear battery and a US dime" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46519000/jpg/_46519035_nuclear-battery.jpg" width="226" height="170"> <div class="cap">The team hopes to make nuclear batteries much smaller still</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF --><p class="first"><b>Researchers have demonstrated a penny-sized "nuclear battery" that produces energy from the decay of radioisotopes.</b> </p><p>As radioactive substances decay, they release charged particles that when properly harvested can create an electrical current. </p><p>Nuclear batteries have been in use for military and aerospace applications, but are typically far larger. </p><p>The University of Missouri team says that the batteries hold a million times as much charge as standard batteries. </p><!-- E SF --><p>They have developed it in an attempt to scale down power sources for the tiny devices that fall under the category of micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (Mems and Nems). </p><p>The means to power such devices has been a subject of study as vigorous as the development of the devices themselves. </p><p><b>Liquid solution</b></p><p>Nuclear batteries are an attractive proposition for many applications because the isotopes that power them can provide a useful amount of current for phenomenally long times - up to hundreds of years or more. </p><p>As a result, they have seen use in spacecraft that are fired far off into the cosmos. But for applications here on Earth, their size has limited their use. </p><p>The Missouri team, led by Jae Wan Kwon, employed a liquid semiconductor to capture and utilise the decay particles. </p><p>Most nuclear batteries use a solid semiconductor to harvest the particles, but the particles' extremely high energies means that the semiconductors suffer damage over time. </p><p>This means that to build a battery that can last as long as the isotope inside, they must be built larger. </p><p>The team's solution incorporates a liquid semiconductor, in which the particles can pass without causing damage. They are now working to further miniaturise the batteries. </p><p>And although the whole idea hinges on the use of radioactive materials, the devices are safe under normal operating conditions. </p><p>"People hear the word 'nuclear' and think of something very dangerous," Dr Jae said. </p><p>"However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pacemakers, space satellites and underwater systems." </p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></font><pre>===============================================
[DOEWatch] List is for news and learning about energy issues related to DOE, energy, and industry. Fluoride and metal synergism's are top issues for energy production and health. Subscribe via email, send Email to: <a href="mailto:DOEWatch--@topica.com">DOEWatch--@topica.com</a> or via the
Web page at: <a href="http://www.doewatch.com">http://www.doewatch.com</a>
The [downwindersII] list is the companion discussion list to [DOEWatch].
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)</pre> </div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>
--Apple-Mail-122--230804404--
|
|
 |
|
