High performance radioluminescent nuclear battery based on ultrabright Cs3Cu2I5:Tl single crystal scintillator

Developing scintillators with excellent luminescent properties is necessary for further boosting the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of radioluminescent (RL) nuclear battery. In this work, the electrical properties of RL nuclear battery based on ultrabright Cs
₃
Cu
₂
I
₅
:Tl single crystal scintillator are investigated. The optimal open circuit voltage and short circuit current of Cs
₃
Cu
₂
I
₅
:Tl RL nuclear battery are 0.37 V and 3.267 μA/cm
²
, corresponding to the maximum output power density of 898 nW/cm
²
, which is respectively 1.18 and 2.95 times that of the RL nuclear battery based on ZnS:Ag and LYSO:Ce reference scintillators. After continuous X-ray irradiation with a total dose of approximately 6,600 Gy, the luminescence properties of Cs
₃
Cu
₂
I
₅
:Tl scintillator remained above 90% of its initial value. This work demonstrates the potential of Cs
₃
Cu
₂
I
₅
:Tl scintillator serving as RL nuclear battery with high PCE and long-term stability.