Radio Isotope Micropower Sources

This effort will seek to develop the technologies and system concepts required for safely producing electrical power from radioisotope materials for portable and mobile applications, using materials that can provide passive power generation. There will also be research in compact battery approaches that harness MEMS technology to safely and efficiently convert radioisotope energy to either electrical or mechanical power while avoiding lifetime-limiting damage to the power converter caused by highly energetic particles. The goal is to provide long-life electrical power to macro-scale systems such as munitions, unattended sensors, and weapon systems, RF ID tags, and other applications requiring relatively low average power.