ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces· 2018Q1
Betavoltaic Enhancement Using Defect-Engineered TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanotube Arrays through Electrochemical Reduction in Organic Electrolytes
- 44citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2018year
Short summary
Researchers developed a new method to boost the efficiency of betavoltaic cells, which convert radioactive decay energy into electricity, by creating specific defects in TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube arrays.
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Key points
- Electrochemical reduction in organic electrolytes creates oxygen vacancy and Ti<sup>3+</sup> defects in TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube arrays.
- Defect-engineered TiO<sub>2</sub> exhibits higher electrical conductivity and broader light absorption.
- A <sup>63</sup>Ni betavoltaic cell using these nanotubes reached a 3.79% energy conversion efficiency.
- The enhancement is linked to improved charge carrier transport, separation, and multiple exciton generation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Utilizing high-energy beta particles emitted from radioisotopes for long-lifetime betavoltaic cells is a great challenge due to low energy conversion efficiency. Here, we report a betavoltaic cell fabricated using TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTAs) electrochemically reduced in ethylene glycol electrolyte (EGECR-TNTAs) for the enhancement of the betavoltaic effect. The electrochemical reduction of TNTAs using high cathodic bias in organic electrolytes is indeed a facile and effective strategy to induce in situ self-doping of oxygen vacancy (OV) and Ti3+ defects. The black EGECR-TNTAs are highly stable with a significantly narrower band gap and higher electrical conductivity as well as UV–vis–NIR light absorption. A 20 mCi of 63Ni betavoltaic cell based on the reduced TNTAs exhibits a maximum ECE of 3.79% with open-circuit voltage of 1.04 V, short-circuit current density of 117.5 nA cm–2, and a maximum power density of 39.2 nW cm–2. The betavoltaic enhancement can be attributed to the enhanced charge carrier transport and separation as well as multiple exciton generation of electron–hole pairs due the generation of OV and Ti3+ interstitial bands below the conductive band of TiO2.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2018 · DOI ↗
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Field: Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Nuclear Energy and EngineeringEnergy