An alternative to keep our handheld electronics good on power for long, really long, may be on its way in form of radioactive batteries being developed by the researchers at the University of Missouri. The researchers having put small amounts of radioactive elements into constructive use, believe the batteries developed from these radioactive substances could not only power electronics for months or even years, but will also be more reliable and cheaper alternative.
The penny-sized battery will be stuffed with milligrams of sulfur 35 which would slowly decay and break into radioactive electrons. The sulfur would be surrounded with a liquid semiconductor known as selenium, which would help convert these splitting radioactive electrons into electricity. Small amount of ingredient means limited radiation which means limited power, but researchers say this can be increased with higher density materials.
The developers would have to play with the negative effects of radioactive materials, but Jae Kwon, a professor at the University of Missouri developing radioactive batteries is confident of his work and says:
This is not a nuclear reaction. Nothing will explode; there won’t be a mushroom cloud on your property.
Via: Discovery
