New 'BetaBatteries' may provide power for decades

According to a news release from the National Science Foundation (NSF), American researchers have developed a porous-silicon diode that "convert low levels of radiation into electricity and can have useful lives spanning several decades."

The new ’BetaBattery’ is more efficient than conventional chemical batteries and potentially cheap to manufacture. It uses a radioactive source as its fuel, the tritium, an hydrogen isotope. When the tritium releases electrons in a process called beta decay, the ’BetaBattery’ generates electricity by absorbing these electrons.

Read the complete story . (Technology Trends)