The basics of betavoltaic nuclear batteries

From the extremely pollutant fossil fuels, to the problematic lithium batteries and the green wind turbines, new forms of generating energy are always necessary. To this day, new sources are being developed and improved to be applied in many different fields. Among those, betavoltaic nuclear battery (BNB) is a device that utilizes the radioactive decay to generate electricity. This work will present in a simple manner, the basics of BNB operation and necessary requirements to build one. Basic Radiation Physics Concepts, BNB configuration requirements, and a literature review were also given. At the end, a discussion containing the principal uses, examples on improving battery efficiency, and radiation damage is provided.