In this research, a novel investigation was carried out on betavoltaic batteries (BB) featuring a non-flat design. Specifically, the research focused on a BB incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) as the semiconductor in a Schottky junction configuration with the radioactive source 90Sr + 90Y. ZnO is a cost-effective semiconductor with a wide bandgap that can be synthesized through various methods and at low temperatures. First, by simulation using the MCNP code, the optimal thickness and dimensions of the battery for a converter with flat geometry with a solid cylindrical source were obtained and compared with models with different geometries of the source and converter with the same junction area and layer thickness. The short-circuit current (<InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="13369_2025_9978_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="16" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="27" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">${I}_{SC}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>I</mi> <mrow> <mi mathvariant="italic">SC</mi> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>), open-circuit voltage (<InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="13369_2025_9978_Article_IEq2.gif" Format="GIF" Height="16" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="24" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">${V}_{oc}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>V</mi> <mrow> <mi mathvariant="italic">oc</mi> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>), and efficiency (<InlineEquation ID="IEq3"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="13369_2025_9978_Article_IEq3.gif" Format="GIF" Height="12" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="13" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$\eta$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mi>η</mi> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>) of the BB were obtained for the four models, with model 1 exhibiting values of 29.5 µA for <InlineEquation ID="IEq4"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="13369_2025_9978_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="16" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="27" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">${I}_{SC}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>I</mi> <mrow> <mi mathvariant="italic">SC</mi> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, 0.85 V for <InlineEquation ID="IEq5"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="13369_2025_9978_Article_IEq2.gif" Format="GIF" Height="16" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="24" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">${V}_{oc}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>V</mi> <mrow> <mi mathvariant="italic">oc</mi> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, and 1.88% for η; model 2 showing 68.8 µA, 0.876 V, and 4.52%; model 3 demonstrating 83.9 µA, 0.901 V, and 5.68%; and model 4 reaching 140 µA, 0.914 V, and 9.67%. Simulation results indicated that altering the geometry of the converter from flat to cylindrical led to significant enhancements in performance when comparing model 1 to model 4. The <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">I</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">SC</Emphasis> increased by 374%, the <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">V</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">oc</Emphasis> increased by 7.5%, and the η increased by 412%. The outcome of this study indicates that optimizing geometric configurations can greatly improve the performance of BB, paving the way for their application in diverse fields requiring long-lasting power sources.

ZnO Betavoltaic Batteries: Exploring Cylindrical Designs for Maximum Efficiency and Output

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发表日期：

2025年2月7日

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Mohammad Maghsodi,
Hossein Tavakoli-Anbaran

摘要

In this research, a novel investigation was carried out on betavoltaic batteries (BB) featuring a non-flat design. Specifically, the research focused on a BB incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) as the semiconductor in a Schottky junction configuration with the radioactive source ⁹⁰Sr + ⁹⁰Y. ZnO is a cost-effective semiconductor with a wide bandgap that can be synthesized through various methods and at low temperatures. First, by simulation using the MCNP code, the optimal thickness and dimensions of the battery for a converter with flat geometry with a solid cylindrical source were obtained and compared with models with different geometries of the source and converter with the same junction area and layer thickness. The short-circuit current ( ${I}_{SC}$ $I_{SC}$ ), open-circuit voltage ( ${V}_{oc}$ $V_{oc}$ ), and efficiency ( $\eta$ $η$ ) of the BB were obtained for the four models, with model 1 exhibiting values of 29.5 µA for ${I}_{SC}$ $I_{SC}$ , 0.85 V for ${V}_{oc}$ $V_{oc}$ , and 1.88% for η; model 2 showing 68.8 µA, 0.876 V, and 4.52%; model 3 demonstrating 83.9 µA, 0.901 V, and 5.68%; and model 4 reaching 140 µA, 0.914 V, and 9.67%. Simulation results indicated that altering the geometry of the converter from flat to cylindrical led to significant enhancements in performance when comparing model 1 to model 4. The I_SC increased by 374%, the V_oc increased by 7.5%, and the η increased by 412%. The outcome of this study indicates that optimizing geometric configurations can greatly improve the performance of BB, paving the way for their application in diverse fields requiring long-lasting power sources.