Abstract
In current sources with a radioactive isotope (CSRI), nuclear energy is directly converted into electricity due to the separation of electric charges during the decay of radioactive isotopes. It was previously shown that asymmetric supercapacitors can be used as CSRI prototypes if, after being exposed to pulsed reactor irradiation, the electric charge on their plates increases to several coulombs as a result of internal induced activity. In this paper, the electric charge separation and accumulation in supercapacitors were studied directly in the process of neutron irradiation. The study was focused on the electrophysical characteristics of cylindrical supercapacitors with an organic electrolyte produced by JSC “ELEKOND”. A comparison of symmetric and asymmetric supercapacitors showed that an effective charge accumulation occurs in the asymmetric capacitors: it is independent of the neutron flux density and determined by the absorbed radiation dose. The electrical voltage between the plates of a symmetrical supercapacitor with a capacity of 100 F during irradiation up to an absorbed dose of 50 Gy reaches 1.24 mV. When asymmetric supercapacitors are irradiated with the same dose, a significant increase in the potential difference up to 1.15 V is observed during irradiation and for a long time afterwards (1.5·105 s) due to the electric charge redistribution (~ 5·10–3 C) in the electrolyte and carbon particles with the formation of a double electrical layer. The post-radiation increase in the capacity of asymmetric supercapacitors is ~ 5 mF.
Highlights
Chemical power sources are widely used for small-size equipment
Based on the results of measurements of the symmetric supercapacitors, it can be concluded that the electrical voltage between their plates does not depend on the neutron flux density, but is determined by the radiation dose
A double electric layer with a specific area up to 103 m2/g is formed on the extremely developed inner surface of the carbon material as a result of ion accumulated in the solvate shell of solution molecules near the plate surface
Summary
Chemical (lithium) power sources are widely used for small-size equipment. Calculations based on the experimental data showed that, for CSRI at an absorbed dose rate of 1 Gy/s from the isotope decaying inside, currents up to 100 μA arise at interphase areas of 103 –104 m2 (Chernov et al 2015). Such areas are realized in supercapacitors and ionistors, where a nanostructured carbon electrode is the main component of the MDM structure. The simulation was performed using measurements of the electrophysical characteristics of supercapacitors in which penetrating continuous neutron radiation plays the role of a radioactive isotope
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