Scientists from Samara University have developed a technology that allows to develop a battery with a lifespan of over 100 years.

This method is based on the idea of transforming the energy that is radiated by a radioactive source into electrical energy. A radioactive isotope emits a flow of electrons and they generate electricity. Scientific Leader and Chief Structural Engineer of the project, Associate Professor of the Department of radiophysics, semiconductor micro – and nanoelectronics of Samara University Viktor Chepurnov emphasized: “Due to the emergence of electrons from isotope which generates a source of beta radiation, we develop an analogue of a phototransducer, but we don’t need the sun”.

Scientists worldwide are working to create power sources that would operate due to the energy of radioisotopes. Experimental prototypes of nuclear batteries exist in Russia, as well as in Switzerland and the United States. The advantage of the developments of scientists of Samara University is that the product based on their technology will be environmentally friendly, and have low cost and long lifespan.

Obtaining a prototype of the new battery is scheduled for October-November 2016. In the future a close collaboration on this project is expected between scientists of Samara University and the State Corporation “Rosatom”, JINR (Dubna, Russia), the National University of Science and Technology “MISiS”, the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Gatchina), the Moscow State University, the “Electrovypryamitel” enterprise (Saransk), the “AKOM” Group of companies, foreign partners. Scientific reports of scientists from Samara University on betavoltaics have caused great interest of the scientific community at several international conferences, including the International Session-Conference of the Section of Nuclear Physics of PSD RAS which was held in JINR, Dubna.