Nuclear power provides roughly 10% of the world’s energy. Yet one of its biggest challenges is radioactive waste. While spent nuclear fuel is typically stored in underground facilities, researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) believe there may be a better use for it—turning it into a battery that never needs to be recharged.
Instead of letting radioactive byproducts sit unused, scientists have found a way to convert them into electricity. Their approach relies on scintillator crystals, a material that absorbs gamma radiation and emits light. When paired with solar cells, the system captures this light and turns it into usable energy.
Unlike traditional batteries, which drain and need replacing, this nuclear waste battery generates power as long as the radioactive material remains active—which, in some cases, could mean decades of continuous operation.
Right now, the system only produces microwatts of power. However, even at this small scale, it could be useful for low-energy applications like microsensors and radiation monitoring devices. The team tested both Cesium-137 and Cobalt-60.
The former is a common fission product, and it generated 288 nanowatts of power. The latter is used in medical radiation treatments and produced 1.5 microwatts during testing. That’s a significant improvement compared to Cesium-137.
Though the energy output is low, researchers believe that scaling up the technology—such as using larger scintillator crystals—could increase power levels to the watt range and beyond. At that point, a nuclear waste battery would become more viable for larger operations.
A battery that can operate for decades with no maintenance has clear advantages, especially in places where changing a power source is difficult or impossible. These batteries could easily help fuel future deep-space missions, where long-lasting energy sources are critical.
Other possible uses for a nuclear waste battery include operations in underwater exploration devices, as well as devices in other extreme environments where recharging the battery would be impossible or at least extremely difficult to accomplish.
With nuclear energy expected to expand, finding ways to repurpose its byproducts is more crucial than ever. If this battery can be refined, it could offer a practical way to generate clean, long-term energy while reducing the need for hazardous waste storage. It would be a true win-win for everyone involved, especially if we never crack the code for nuclear fusion.
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