"Tritium vials glow because beta decay excites a phosphor coating, and that emitted light can generate a small current in solar cells, albeit far less efficiently than natural light."
"Sandwich those vials between a pair of solar cells pried from cheap calculators, insulate 'em, and wrap them in tin foil to block out the light, and voilà: A very small, very ineffective nuclear battery that should run for around 12 years."
"Before he wired the two solar cells together, the contraption only produced around half a volt and no measurable current. Once the two cells were wired together, the current rose to the nanoamp range."
"After hooking the battery up to a capacitor and leaving it for a day, the capacitor managed to reach 2.8 volts. Measuring the voltage with a meter caused it to drop quite quickly."
Constructing a DIY tritium nuclear battery involves using old solar-powered calculators, tritium gas vials, and tin foil. Tritium vials emit light through beta decay, which can generate a small current in solar cells. The setup produces minimal energy, with initial voltage around half a volt and current in the nanoamp range. After connecting to a capacitor, the battery can reach 2.8 volts, but measuring the voltage quickly reduces output. The battery has a lifespan of about 12 years, corresponding to the half-life of tritium.
Read at Theregister
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]