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Nuclear batteries began in 1913, when Henry Moseley first demonstrated a current generated by charged-particle radiation. In the 1950s and 1960s, this field of research got much attention for applications requiring long-life power sources for spacecraft. In 1954, RCA researched a small atomic battery for small radio receivers and hearing aids. [4]
This list is a summary of notable electric battery types composed of one or more electrochemical cells. Three lists are provided in the table. Three lists are provided in the table. The primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) cell lists are lists of battery chemistry.
Diagram of an RTG used on the Cassini probe. A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG, RITEG), sometimes referred to as a radioisotope power system (RPS), is a type of nuclear battery that uses an array of thermocouples to convert the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material into electricity by the Seebeck effect.
Each mercury-free battery weighs less than one gram, and can individually produce about 1.5 volts of electricity. By placing several batteries side by side, however, up to 6 volts can be generated.
A 1919 illustration of a Leclanché cell. The Leclanché cell is a battery invented and patented by the French scientist Georges Leclanché in 1866. [1] [2] [3] The battery contained a conducting solution (electrolyte) of ammonium chloride, a cathode (positive terminal) of carbon, a depolarizer of manganese dioxide (oxidizer), and an anode (negative terminal) of zinc (reductant).
For practical devices, this decrease occurs over a period of many years. For tritium devices, the half-life is 12.32 years. In device design, one must account for what battery characteristics are required at end-of-life, and ensure that the beginning-of-life properties take into account the desired usable lifetime.
Batteries are used on spacecraft as a means of power storage. Primary batteries contain all their usable energy when assembled and can only be discharged. Secondary batteries can be recharged from some other energy source, such as solar panels or radioisotope-based power (), and can deliver power during periods when the space vehicle is out of direct sunlight.
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