13-01-2018, 12:00 PM
Abstract
Nuclear microgenerators (Nuclear microbatteries) are micro scale power generators which convert radioactivity into electrical energy. They are generators that produce power without utilising any fusion or fission reaction. In nuclear micro batteries the energy of the spontaneously emitted Beta particle from the radioactive isotope is used to generate electric current. In the most recent type of nuclear micro battery, a radio isotope powered, self oscillating cantilever beam is used. The actuator realizes a direct collected-charge-to-motion conversion. A thin beam is placed at short distance from the radioactive source, and as the charged particles from the source are collected on the beam, it is attracted towards the source. As it contacts the source the beam is discharged and returns to its initial position. The process repeats and the cantilever oscillates continuously. A static state model balancing the electrostatic and mechanical forces from an equivalent circuit leads to an analytic tractable solution for device performance and is presented. A piezoelectric crystal coupled with the cantilever can produce current pulses and finds revolutionary applications in microelectronics especially in MEMS and in nanotechnology.
Nuclear microgenerators (Nuclear microbatteries) are micro scale power generators which convert radioactivity into electrical energy. They are generators that produce power without utilising any fusion or fission reaction. In nuclear micro batteries the energy of the spontaneously emitted Beta particle from the radioactive isotope is used to generate electric current. In the most recent type of nuclear micro battery, a radio isotope powered, self oscillating cantilever beam is used. The actuator realizes a direct collected-charge-to-motion conversion. A thin beam is placed at short distance from the radioactive source, and as the charged particles from the source are collected on the beam, it is attracted towards the source. As it contacts the source the beam is discharged and returns to its initial position. The process repeats and the cantilever oscillates continuously. A static state model balancing the electrostatic and mechanical forces from an equivalent circuit leads to an analytic tractable solution for device performance and is presented. A piezoelectric crystal coupled with the cantilever can produce current pulses and finds revolutionary applications in microelectronics especially in MEMS and in nanotechnology.
