Scientists Turn Nuclear Waste into Electricity with New Micro-Battery Design

Ohio State researchers have developed a novel battery that harnesses gamma radiation—typically considered a harmful waste product—to generate usable electricity. The prototype device, roughly the size of a sugar cube, might eventually help power sensors in nuclear facilities or deep space missions.

The study, published this month in Optical Materials: X, demonstrates how scintillator crystals paired with solar cells can convert intense radiation fields into electrical power, achieving outputs of up to 1.5 microwatts—enough to potentially power small sensors.

“We’re harvesting something considered as waste and by nature, trying to turn it into treasure,” said Raymond Cao, the study’s lead author and director of Ohio State University’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.

Unlike conventional batteries that degrade over time, these “nuclear photovoltaic batteries” could theoretically provide stable power for years in environments where maintenance is difficult or impossible. The design offers a creative solution for environments already affected by radiation, such as nuclear waste storage facilities or space exploration vehicles.

The battery operates through a two-step conversion process. First, a high-density crystal called a scintillator absorbs gamma radiation and converts it to visible light. Then, a photovoltaic cell captures this light and generates electricity—similar to how solar panels work, but with radiation instead of sunlight as the energy source.

Researchers tested their prototype using two different radiation sources at Ohio State’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. When exposed to cesium-137, the battery generated 288 nanowatts. With the stronger cobalt-60 source, power output increased to 1.5 microwatts.

While these power levels might seem modest compared to the kilowatts needed for household electronics, they represent significant progress in harvesting energy from nuclear waste. The output is normalized as 15 microwatts per 100 kRad/h of radiation exposure.

The team compared two different scintillator materials: GAGG (Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet) and LYSO (Lutetium-Yttrium Oxyorthosilicate) crystals. The GAGG crystal produced approximately 25 times more power than LYSO when exposed to the same radiation, despite having only about six times more volume.

Study co-author Ibrahim Oksuz, a research associate in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State, noted: “These are breakthrough results in terms of power output. This two-step process is still in its preliminary stages, but the next step involves generating greater watts with scale-up constructs.”

The researchers emphasized that these devices wouldn’t be intended for public use, but rather deployed in environments already subjected to high radiation, such as nuclear waste storage pools or space nuclear systems. Importantly, while the battery uses gamma radiation, it doesn’t incorporate radioactive materials itself, making it safe to handle.

Nuclear power generates about 20% of electricity in the United States with minimal greenhouse gas emissions, but managing the resulting radioactive waste has long been a challenge. Technologies that can harness this waste could provide additional value from materials that would otherwise require costly long-term storage.

The team discovered that even the geometry of the scintillator crystals affects power output. Larger crystals absorb more radiation and convert more energy into light, while greater surface area helps the photovoltaic cell generate more electricity.

Widespread application of this technology faces economic hurdles. “Scaling this technology up would be costly unless these batteries could be reliably manufactured,” Cao said. Additional research is needed to determine the longevity and durability of these devices in high-radiation environments.

Oksuz remains optimistic about the technology’s potential: “The nuclear battery concept is very promising. There’s still lots of room for improvement, but I believe in the future, this approach will carve an important space for itself in both the energy production and sensors industry.”

For environments where conventional batteries would quickly degrade and maintenance is nearly impossible—such as deep space missions, underwater monitoring stations, or sealed nuclear waste repositories—these radiation-powered devices could provide long-term, maintenance-free power solutions.

The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, with collaborators from The University of Toledo contributing to the study.

As global interest in nuclear energy continues to grow amid climate change concerns, innovations like these that address waste management challenges could become increasingly important. While still in early development, the technology demonstrates how creative engineering approaches might transform hazardous waste streams into valuable resources.