A review for nuclear batteries based on diamond

Nuclear battery is a potential energy generator because of its long lifetime, stable output performance, high energy density and environmental resistance. It converts the energy of high energy particles into electric energy. The main constituent parts of nuclear batteries are radioisotope and semiconductor energy converter. Diamond is ultra-wide band gap semiconductor with high carrier mobilities and high chemical inertness. More importantly, it is an excellent radiation resistance material. Therefore, diamond is an ideal material for the fabrication of nuclear batteries. This paper reviews the development status of diamond-based nuclear batteries. The alpha-voltaic, beta-voltaic and gamma-voltaic nuclear batteries based on diamond Schottky junction and p–n junction are illustrated in this review. In addition, an outlook on future research of diamond-based nuclear batteries is also provided.