Study of radiation damage in SrI2 for 90Sr based betabatteries

Betabatteries can provide long term power in applications where there is no access to other energy sources, for example space exploration, deep see sensors, and implantable devices. Traditional betabattery approaches suffer from two significant limitations: radiation damage in the semiconductor diode severely limits their lifetime, and self absorption in the source places an upper limit on the strength of the source. We are developing a device that overcomes both problems using a novel approach based on a scintillator grown with beta emitting atoms in its crystal structure. We present the results of electron beam induced radiation damage in the scintillators which is the limiting factor on the practical lifetime of a ⁹⁰Sr/SrI₂ based betabattery.