Nanopore-containing power generation assembly, isotope battery and preparation method of isotope battery

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of isotope batteries and discloses a nanopore-containing power generation assembly. The nanopore-containing power generation assembly comprises a transduction layer, the loading layer is arranged on the surface of the transduction layer in advance, and the loading layer is provided with preset nanopores. The technical problem that in the preparation process of the radioactive source in the isotope battery, due to the fact that the hydrogen absorption temperature of a hydrogen storage material is high, large thermal mismatching exists between a transducer device and the hydrogen storage material, growth stress is generated in the phase change process, and consequently the transducer device may have serious structural damage can be solved; the loading layer arranged on the surface of the transduction layer in advance is adopted, and the loading layer is provided with the nanopore structure, so that when the loading layer serves as a basic structure for preparing the isotope power generation assembly, for example, nanopores are filled with radioactive gas such as tritium, the loading layer structure is stable, and the isotope power generation assembly is prepared. The probability that the energy conversion layer structure is damaged due to growth stress generated in the phase change process can be reduced, and then it is guaranteed that the structure of the prepared isotope power generation assembly is stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of isotope battery technology, specifically to a nanoporous power generation component, an isotope battery, and a method for preparing an isotope battery. Background Technology

[0002] In the 1950s, with the gradual maturation of nuclear energy technology, isotope batteries, as a unique energy conversion device, began to attract widespread attention and gradually moved from the laboratory to practical applications. Due to their unique advantages, isotope batteries have broad application prospects in many fields. In the aerospace field, isotope batteries serve as an ideal power source for long-term deep space exploration missions, providing a stable and long-lasting energy supply for probes far from the sun. In deep-sea exploration and polar scientific expeditions, isotope batteries also play a crucial role, providing reliable power support for electronic equipment in these extreme environments. Furthermore, isotope batteries are widely used in medical, military, and industrial monitoring fields, providing solutions for various devices requiring long-term, stable power supplies.

[0003] The basic principle of isotope batteries is to utilize the energy released during the decay of radioactive isotopes, typically in the form of heat or particles (such as alpha or beta particles). Micro-isotope batteries, such as beta-volt isotope batteries, utilize the beta particles released during radioactive isotope decay. These particles bombard a semiconductor material, generating electron-hole pairs, which are then separated under a built-in electric field and output as electrical energy through an external circuit. Compared to traditional thermoelectric radioactive isotope batteries, beta-volt isotope batteries have higher energy conversion efficiency and are easier to miniaturize and integrate, attracting considerable attention and exploration from scientists.

[0004] Currently, improving the energy storage and energy conversion efficiency of micro isotope batteries is a research hotspot. Commonly used methods include: selection and optimization of transducer materials, battery structure design, and selection and preparation of radiation sources.

[0005] The selection and preparation method of the radioactive source are crucial in determining the energy level of isotope batteries and have a significant impact. Currently, the main radioactive sources that can be used include tritium, nickel-63, strontium-90, polonium-210, and plutonium-238. Among these, tritium sources are widely used as beta-volt isotope battery sources due to their advantages such as high decay stability, moderate energy density, low radiation risk, wide applicability, and long lifespan. However, in the design and manufacturing process of isotope batteries using tritium as the radioactive source, since tritium exists in a gaseous state at room temperature, directly using gaseous tritium as the radioactive source poses a leakage risk and requires extremely high sealing performance, which greatly limits the application range of the battery. In addition, the low density of gaseous tritium sources results in low energy per unit area, leading to low battery power density.

[0006] Therefore, in existing technologies, gaseous tritium sources are generally adsorbed into hydrogen storage materials and then used as isotope sources to improve energy utilization and optimize the structure of transducer devices. At the same time, tritium sources confined in solid materials can resist drastic changes in the external environment, reduce the risk of radioactive source leakage, and improve the stability and reliability of radioactive sources.

[0007] Currently, there are the following drawbacks to using gaseous tritium sources adsorbed into hydrogen storage materials and then used as isotope sources:

[0008] First, since hydrogen storage materials are generally chosen as elemental metals or metal alloys, and the environment in which gaseous tritium is adsorbed onto the hydrogen storage material is a non-vacuum environment, when elemental metals are chosen as the hydrogen storage material, their surface is easily oxidized, forming an oxide layer. Therefore, when adsorbing gaseous tritium onto the hydrogen storage material, it is necessary to first remove the surface oxide layer and other impurities. The effective activation temperature required for this process is approximately 600–750°C. When metal alloys are chosen as the hydrogen storage material, the activation temperature can be lowered somewhat, but the effective activation temperature is still above 400°C, and the hydrogen storage capacity of alloy materials is often low, making them unsuitable as isotope radiation sources.

[0009] Furthermore, the coefficient of thermal expansion of hydrogen storage materials is greater than 10. -5 / K (the coefficient of thermal expansion refers to the ratio of the change in length, volume, or surface area of ​​a material to its original size when the temperature changes by a unit amount), while the coefficient of thermal expansion of the transducer in an isotope cell is less than 10. -6 / K (semiconductor doped material) and the two have a large thermal mismatch coefficient (the thermal expansion coefficients are quite different); therefore, when the hydrogen storage material adsorbs gaseous tritium, the temperature is high, and the thermal mismatch between the two can easily lead to a large difference in deformation at high temperature. The deformation of the transducer is inconsistent with that of the hydrogen storage material. Therefore, the transducer will be subjected to huge growth stress from the surface hydrogen storage material.

[0010] Furthermore, during the adsorption of tritium, the hydrogen storage material undergoes a phase transition due to the continuous adsorption of gaseous tritium, resulting in significant volume expansion. For example, titanium expands continuously with increasing hydrogen adsorption, reaching an expansion rate of 22.2% when the hydrogen-to-titanium atomic ratio reaches 1.5. In the fabrication of isotope batteries, the thickness of the transducer is only 3-4 times that of the hydrogen storage film, and the transducer has low toughness. Large thermal mismatches and growth stresses generated during phase transitions can severely damage the transducer, causing structural fractures, transducer failure, and ultimately rendering the fabricated isotope battery unusable.

[0011] In summary, during the preparation of the internal radioactive source of an isotope battery, how to reduce the activation temperature and hydrogen absorption temperature of the hydrogen storage material, thereby reducing the possibility of severe structural damage to the transducer, is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Severe structural damage to the transducer is caused by the large thermal mismatch between the transducer and the hydrogen storage material and the growth stress generated by the phase transition process. Summary of the Invention

[0012] This invention is based on the inventor's discoveries and understanding of the following facts and problems:

[0013] In the fabrication of isotope batteries, directly coupling the isotope source with the transducer can improve the utilization efficiency of the isotope source. However, during the coupling process, engineers have discovered that after the isotope source is deposited on the surface of the transducer, significant thermal mismatch between the transducer and the hydrogen storage material, along with growth stress generated during the phase transition process, can lead to severe structural damage to the transducer.

[0014] This invention aims to at least partially solve one of the technical problems in related technologies. To this end, embodiments of this invention propose a method for preparing a nanoporous power generation component, an isotope battery, and an isotope battery.

[0015] On the one hand, a nanoporous power generation device is provided, comprising:

[0016] Transducer layer; and,

[0017] A loading layer is pre-installed on the surface of the transducer layer, and the loading layer has pre-installed nanopores.

[0018] The nanoporous power generation component of this aspect has the following technical effects: by using a loading layer pre-installed on the surface of the transducer layer, and the loading layer having a nanoporous structure, the loading layer structure is relatively stable when used as the basic structure for preparing isotope power generation components, for example, when the nanopores are filled with radioactive gases such as tritium. This reduces the probability of growth stress caused by the phase transition process damaging the transducer layer structure, thereby ensuring that the prepared isotope power generation component structure is stable and the transducer device operates effectively.

[0019] In addition, the pre-designed nanoporous structure can reduce the hydrogen absorption temperature, thereby solving the technical problem that the transducer may suffer severe structural damage due to the large thermal mismatch between the transducer and the hydrogen storage material.

[0020] Furthermore, the loading layer has a plurality of nanopores, and each nanopore is diffusely distributed in the loading layer.

[0021] Furthermore, it also includes a tritium absorption-enhancing layer, which is disposed on the surface of the loading layer.

[0022] On the other hand, an isotope battery is provided, including the nanoporous power generation component described above, wherein the nanopores are occupied by tritium.

[0023] The isotope battery of this aspect has the following technical advantages: By employing the aforementioned nanoporous power generation component, when the nanopores are filled with radioactive gases such as tritium, the loading layer structure is relatively stable. This reduces the probability of growth stress caused by phase transition processes, which could damage the transducer layer structure, thus ensuring the structural stability of the prepared isotope battery and extending its service life. Furthermore, the pre-designed nanoporous structure lowers the hydrogen absorption temperature, thereby solving the technical problem of severe structural damage to the transducer device that could result from a large thermal mismatch between the transducer and the hydrogen storage material.

[0024] Furthermore, a method for preparing an isotope battery is provided, for preparing an isotope battery as described above, comprising:

[0025] S1: In the first environment, a deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared on the surface of the transducer layer to obtain a passive power generation module;

[0026] S2: Place the passive power generation component in a deuterium desorption environment for at least a first preset time to desorb deuterium, thereby obtaining a power generation component with a nanoporous loading layer on the surface of the transducer layer, wherein the loading layer has nanopores;

[0027] S3: Place the nanoporous power generation component in a tritium-absorbing environment for at least a second preset time to absorb tritium, thereby obtaining an active power generation component, wherein the nanopores are occupied by tritium;

[0028] S4: Using at least one of the active power generation components, and drawing out the positive and negative electrodes from the transducer layer, the isotope battery is obtained.

[0029] The method for preparing isotope batteries in this aspect has the following technical effects: By pre-setting nanopores in the loading layer and placing them on the surface of the transducer layer, the loading layer structure becomes more stable when used as the basic structure for preparing isotope power generation components, for example, when the nanopores are filled with tritium. This reduces the probability of growth stress caused by the phase transition process damaging the transducer layer structure, thereby ensuring that the prepared isotope power generation component structure is stable and the transducer device operates effectively.

[0030] In addition, the pre-designed nanoporous structure can reduce the tritium absorption temperature, thereby solving the technical problem that the transducer may suffer severe structural damage due to the large thermal mismatch between the transducer and the hydrogen storage material.

[0031] Furthermore, step S1 includes: the first environment is a vacuum environment, and the deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared in the first environment using a magnetron sputtering method.

[0032] The loading layer is prepared in a vacuum environment, and no oxide layer is formed on the surface of the loading layer. Therefore, there is no need for additional pretreatment of the loading layer, i.e., activation at high temperature. This reduces the temperature environment of the entire preparation process, which is beneficial to the subsequent deuteration and tritium absorption processes.

[0033] Furthermore, using magnetron sputtering to prepare the deuterium-containing loading layer allows the elements in the loading layer material to fully combine with deuterium atoms, achieving a value close to the theoretical maximum of the combination between the loading layer material and deuterium atoms. For example, theoretically, one titanium atom can combine with a maximum of two deuterium atoms, which cannot be achieved using conventional activation absorption. The magnetron sputtering method ionizes deuterium gas into ions, bombarding the elements in the loading layer material into atoms. These atoms combine and deposit on the surface of the transducer as they fly towards it, easily approaching or even reaching the theoretical value, thus maximizing the amount of tritium absorbed.

[0034] Furthermore, argon and deuterium are introduced into the first environment, wherein the ratio of the argon flow rate to the deuterium flow rate ranges from 1 / 4 to 2 / 3.

[0035] Furthermore, the ratio of the argon gas flow rate to the deuterium gas flow rate is 1 / 2.

[0036] Furthermore, the temperature range of the deuterium desorption environment is 245°C to 265°C.

[0037] Furthermore, after step S1 and before step S2, the method for preparing the isotope battery further includes: preparing a tritium-enhancing layer on the surface of the deuterium-containing loading layer. The tritium-enhancing layer is used to promote tritium adsorption within the nanopores. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the preparation method of the isotope battery in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of the preparation method of the isotope battery in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure reference numerals: 100a-passive power generation module, 100b-power generation module with nanopores, 100c-active power generation module, 110-transducer layer, 120-loading layer, 121-nanopores, 130-tritium absorption layer. Detailed Implementation

[0041] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0042] The preparation method of the isotope battery according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the method for preparing an isotope battery according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0043] S1: In the first environment, a deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared on the surface of the transducer layer 110 to obtain a passive power generation module 100a;

[0044] S2: The passive power generation component 100a is placed in a deuterium desorption environment for at least a first preset time to desorb deuterium, thereby obtaining a nanoporous power generation component 100b with a loading layer 120 preset on the surface of the transducer layer 110, wherein the loading layer 120 has nanopores 121.

[0045] S3: Place the nanoporous power generation component 100b in a tritium-absorbing environment for at least a second preset time to absorb tritium, thereby obtaining an active power generation component 100c, wherein the nanopores 121 are occupied by tritium;

[0046] S4: Using at least one of the active power generation components, and drawing out the positive and negative electrodes from the transducer layer 110, the isotope battery is obtained.

[0047] According to the method for fabricating an isotope battery in a specific embodiment of the present invention, a deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared on the surface of the transducer layer 110, and after deuterium desorption, tritium is absorbed. During the deuterium desorption process, the deuterium gas can remove the oxide layer on the surface of the loading layer 120, providing a large number of activation sites for tritium absorption, thereby reducing the temperature of tritium absorption. The desorption path of deuterium desorption can promote tritium diffusion and reduce the activation energy of tritium absorption, thereby reducing the temperature of tritium absorption. The nanopores 121 left after deuterium desorption can also promote tritium diffusion, thereby reducing the temperature of tritium absorption. Meanwhile, the radii of deuterium atoms are similar to those of tritium atoms. When tritium occupies the nanopores 121, the loading layer 120 will not experience expansion stress due to tritium absorption. Furthermore, the loading layer 120 and the transducer layer 110 have different coefficients of thermal expansion, resulting in lower temperatures during deuterium desorption and tritium absorption, which reduces the deformation difference between the loading layer 120 and the transducer layer 110. In summary, the isotope battery fabrication method can reduce the tritium absorption temperature of the active power generation component 100c and prevent expansion stress in the loading layer 120 during tritium absorption, thus reducing the deformation between the loading layer 120 and the transducer layer 110. This prevents severe damage to the transducer layer 110 caused by stress between the loading layer 120 and the transducer layer 110, and prevents structural fracture of the transducer layer 110.

[0048] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in order to make the technical solution of this application easier to understand, the technical solution of this application will be described in more detail below with specific embodiments of the preparation method of isotope batteries.

[0049] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, S1: A deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared on the surface of the transducer layer 110 to obtain a passive power generation module 100a.

[0050] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, step S1 includes: the first environment is a vacuum environment, and a deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared in the first environment using a magnetron sputtering method. Specifically, the transducer layer 110 is placed in a magnetron sputtering apparatus, and a tritium-absorbing metal is used as the target material to prepare a loading layer 120 on the surface of the transducer layer 110. The loading layer 120 contains deuterium.

[0051] It should be noted that the first environment can be understood as having all the conditions for preparing the loading layer 120, such as temperature, pressure and other related conditions meeting the requirements.

[0052] Taking a titanium target, deuterium gas, and argon gas as an example, a titanium deuteride thin film was prepared on the surface of the transducer layer 110 using a titanium target with a purity of 99.999%, deuterium gas with a purity of 99.999%, and argon gas with a purity of 99.999%, via co-sputtering technology in the magnetron sputtering method. The deposition vacuum degree was better than 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. -5 The deposition parameters are: Pa, argon flow rate 10±2 sccm, deuterium flow rate 5±2 sccm, deposition temperature 300±10℃, deposition bias voltage 30±10V, deposition pressure 1±0.2Pa, deposition time 120±5min, and deposition power 50±5W.

[0053] In some specific embodiments, the thickness of the loading layer 120 is 600±50nm.

[0054] In some specific embodiments, argon and deuterium are introduced into the first environment, with the ratio of argon flow rate to deuterium flow rate ranging from 1 / 4 to 2 / 3. Specifically, argon is an auxiliary gas for preparing the loading layer 120. The argon introduced into the first environment is directly ionized into an ionic state. The ionized argon bombards the tritium-absorbing metal to obtain atomic-level tritium-absorbing metal. The atomic-level tritium-absorbing metal combines with the ionized deuterium in the first environment (the deuterium introduced into the first environment is directly ionized into an ionic state), and a deuterium-containing loading layer is generated in the transducer layer 110. When the argon flow rate is similar to the deuterium flow rate, bombarding the tritium-absorbing metal with ionized argon can only produce atomic-level tritium-absorbing metal. In this case, the number of atomic-level tritium-absorbing metal particles is much smaller than the number of ionized argon particles, resulting in numerous defects in the generated loading layer, i.e., the loading layer is extremely prone to breakage. In this application, the flow rate of argon gas is greater than that of deuterium gas, thereby obtaining more atomic-level tritium-absorbing metals and making the structure of the loading layer more stable.

[0055] In some specific embodiments, the ratio of argon gas flow rate to deuterium gas flow rate is preferably 1 / 2.

[0056] In some specific embodiments, the target material is a tritium-absorbing metal.

[0057] In some specific embodiments, the tritium-absorbing metal can be titanium, vanadium, zirconium, erbium, magnesium, titanium-manganese alloy, titanium-chromium alloy, titanium-iron alloy, titanium-niobium alloy, titanium-copper alloy, titanium-manganese-nitrogen alloy, zirconium-chromium alloy, zirconium-manganese alloy, zirconium-chromium-iron-nickel alloy, zirconium-cobalt alloy, magnesium-nickel alloy, magnesium-copper alloy, magnesium-iron alloy, magnesium-titanium alloy, lanthanum-nickel alloy, etc.

[0058] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, S2: The passive power generation component 100a is placed in a deuterium desorption environment for at least a first preset time to desorb deuterium, resulting in a nanoporous power generation component 100b with a loading layer 120 pre-set on the surface of the transducer layer 110, wherein the loading layer 120 has nanopores 121. Specifically, the passive power generation component 100a can undergo deuterium desorption in the deuterium desorption environment, thereby releasing the deuterium in the loading layer 120 to obtain the nanopores 121.

[0059] During deuterium release, the deuterium escape path can become the path for tritium atoms to diffuse to the loading layer 120 during tritium absorption, thereby accelerating tritium atom diffusion, lowering the activation energy of tritium absorption, and consequently reducing the tritium absorption temperature. In traditional tritium absorption processes, activating the tritium activation sites on the hydrogen storage metal surface requires relatively high temperatures. For example, in the process of titanium hydrogen absorption, hydrogen absorption begins when the temperature reaches 250℃, and when the temperature rises to around 450℃, the hydrogen concentration in titanium approaches the theoretical value.

[0060] Meanwhile, the loading layer 120 generally has high activity and is highly susceptible to contamination by impurities such as carbon and oxygen in the air. The resulting oxide layer occupies the surface activation sites of the loading layer 120, preventing the dissociation and diffusion of tritium. If tritium diffuses into the loading layer 120, the ambient temperature needs to be increased for tritium adsorption to occur. During the deuterium release process, deuterium can reduce the oxide layer on the surface of the loading layer 120, that is, remove the oxide layer from the surface of the loading layer 120, thus cleaning the surface. It can also provide a large number of activation sites for subsequent tritium adsorption, lowering the activation temperature for tritium to enter the loading layer 120, thereby lowering the temperature for tritium adsorption.

[0061] Furthermore, the tritium atoms diffused into the loading layer 120 can be adapted to the nanopores 121, which can reduce the activation energy of tritium adsorption and thus reduce the temperature of tritium adsorption.

[0062] It should be noted that the deuterium desorption environment can be understood as an environment that meets all the conditions for deuterium desorption, such as temperature, pressure, and other related conditions. Furthermore, the first preset time is 30 hours.

[0063] Taking titanium metal as an example, the prepared titanium deuteride thin film was placed in a deuteration environment. A mechanical pump was turned on to evacuate the vacuum to less than 20 Pa. After the molecular pump was turned on to full speed, the vacuum level in the deuteration environment was evacuated to better than 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ Pa. -5 Pa. Turn on heating and raise the temperature to 250±5℃ within 10 minutes, maintaining a high vacuum state within the deuterium desorption environment. Hold at this temperature for 30 hours, until the vacuum inside the cavity returns to 3.0×10⁻⁶. -5 At Pa, heating is stopped, and deuterium in the titanium deuteride film is completely desorbed. At this point, the interstitial sites in the titanium film occupied by deuterium atoms will be completely vacated. Moreover, during the process of deuterium being released from the interior of the film to the surface, if the surface of the titanium film has an oxide layer, it will be further reduced by the released deuterium gas, which can also promote the desorption of other impurities such as carbon, thereby cleaning the surface.

[0064] In some specific embodiments, the temperature range of the deuterium desorption environment is 245°C to 265°C.

[0065] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, S3: The nanoporous power generation component 100b is placed in a tritium-absorbing environment for at least a second preset time to absorb tritium, resulting in an active power generation component 100c, wherein the nanopores 121 in the active power generation component 100c are occupied by tritium. Specifically, the nanoporous power generation component 100b can absorb tritium in a tritium-absorbing environment, thereby allowing tritium to occupy the nanopores 121 in the loading layer 120, resulting in the active power generation component 100c. That is, during the tritium absorption process, tritium atoms can occupy the lattice gaps in the loading layer 120. Since the radius of tritium atoms is similar to that of deuterium atoms, the loading layer 120 will not experience expansion stress during the absorption process, thus preventing damage to the transducer layer 110 and protecting the transducer device. In the conventional tritium absorption process, as the hydrogen atom concentration in the loading layer 120 increases, the loading layer 120 expands, resulting in significant internal stress. Since the transducer layer 110 is a highly brittle semiconductor material, the internal stress of the loading layer 120 can easily cause damage to the transducer layer 110.

[0066] It should be noted that in traditional tritium absorption processes, activating the tritium at its activation sites on the hydrogen storage metal surface requires relatively high temperatures. For example, in the hydrogen absorption process of titanium, hydrogen absorption begins at 250°C, and the hydrogen concentration in titanium approaches the theoretical value when the temperature rises to around 450°C. However, in this technical solution, the temperature range of the tritium absorption environment is 290°C to 310°C, which is lower than the traditional tritium absorption temperature. In other words, compared to this technical solution, the traditional tritium absorption temperature is higher, resulting in a larger deformation difference between the loading layer and the transducer layer. Furthermore, the second preset time is 15 hours.

[0067] Taking titanium as an example, a nanoporous power generation component 100b is placed in a tritium absorption environment to absorb tritium, wherein the vacuum level in the tritium absorption environment is evacuated to a value better than 5 × 10⁻⁶. -5 The temperature was raised to 300±10℃, and tritium gas at 10000±200Pa was introduced. The reaction was carried out for 15 hours.

[0068] It should be noted that the tritium adsorption environment can be understood as a deuterium desorption environment that meets all the conditions for deuterium desorption, such as temperature, pressure and other related conditions.

[0069] In some specific embodiments, the temperature range of the tritium absorption environment is 290°C to 310°C.

[0070] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, after step S1 and before step S2, the method for preparing the isotope battery further includes: preparing a tritium-enhancing layer 130 on the surface of the deuterium-containing loading layer. Specifically, the tritium-enhancing layer 130 can be prepared on the surface of the deuterium-containing loading layer using magnetron sputtering or vacuum evaporation. The tritium-enhancing layer 130 exhibits excellent anti-oxidative contamination properties and can provide more activation sites for tritium absorption; that is, after the tritium gas is dissociated into tritium ions, the tritium ions can diffuse into the loading layer 120 through grain boundaries.

[0071] In some specific embodiments, the material of the tritium adsorption layer 130 can be palladium, nickel, etc. The tritium adsorption layer can reduce the hydrogen adsorption temperature of the loading layer, and thus can also reduce the thermal mismatch between the loading layer and the transducer layer to a certain extent.

[0072] In isotope batteries, the deposition of a palladium or nickel film on the surface of the tritium adsorption layer can lower the hydrogen absorption temperature primarily due to the strong catalytic activity and hydrogen permeability of the palladium or nickel film. As a highly efficient catalyst, the palladium or nickel film promotes the dissociation of hydrogen molecules into hydrogen atoms at lower temperatures, accelerating the adsorption and diffusion of hydrogen in the tritium adsorption layer. Furthermore, the strong hydrogen permeability of the palladium or nickel film, including the hydrogen permeation rate and separation effect, is also a crucial factor affecting the hydrogen absorption temperature. Simultaneously, the presence of the palladium or nickel film reduces hydrogen embrittlement and enhances the stability and durability of the membrane, enabling effective hydrogen adsorption and release at lower temperatures. These combined properties allow the tritium adsorption layer to achieve highly efficient hydrogen absorption performance at relatively low temperatures.

[0073] One embodiment of the manufacturing process of the active power generation module 100c: the material of the transducer layer 110 is silicon carbide, and the material of the loading layer 120 is titanium.

[0074] S1: In the first environment, a deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared on the surface of the transducer layer 110 to obtain a passive power generation module 100a.

[0075] 1) Use alcohol and acetone to ultrasonically clean silicon carbide, and then dry it with cold air after cleaning.

[0076] 2) A titanium deuteride thin film with a thickness of 600±50 nm was prepared on the surface of silicon carbide using a co-sputtering technique in the magnetron sputtering method, with a titanium target of 99.999% purity, deuterium gas of 99.999% purity, and argon gas of 99.999% purity. The first environmental conditions included a deposition vacuum degree better than 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. -5The deposition process involved preparing titanium deuteride thin films on silicon carbide surfaces using the following parameters: argon flow rate of 10±2 sccm, deuterium flow rate of 5±2 sccm, deposition temperature of 300±10℃, deposition bias of 30±10V, deposition pressure of 1±0.2Pa, deposition time of 120±5min, and deposition power of 50±5W.

[0077] S2: The passive power generation component 100a is placed in a deuterium desorption environment for at least a first preset time to desorb deuterium, thereby obtaining a nanoporous power generation component 100b with a loading layer 120 preset on the surface of the transducer layer 110, wherein the loading layer 120 has nanopores 121.

[0078] 1) Place the prepared titanium deuteride thin film into a vacuum chamber, turn on the mechanical pump, evacuate to less than 20 Pa, turn on the molecular pump to full speed, and then evacuate the vacuum level in the chamber to better than 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ Pa. -5 Pa, turn on heating, raise the temperature to 250±5℃ within 10 minutes, maintain a high vacuum state inside the cavity, hold for 30 hours, and wait for the vacuum level inside the cavity to return to 3.0×10 -5 Pa, heating is stopped, and the deuterium in the titanium deuteride film is completely desorbed. At this time, the interstitial sites occupied by deuterium atoms in the titanium film will be completely vacated, thereby forming nanopores 121 inside the titanium film.

[0079] S3: Place the nanoporous power generation component 100b in a tritium-absorbing environment for at least a second preset time to absorb tritium, thereby obtaining an active power generation component 100c, wherein the nanopores 121 in the active power generation component 100c are occupied by tritium.

[0080] S4: Using at least one of the active power generation components 100c, and drawing out the positive and negative electrodes from the transducer layer, the isotope battery is obtained.

[0081] 1) Place the titanium thin film with nanopores 121 in a vacuum chamber and evacuate to a vacuum level better than 5 × 10⁻⁶. -5 The temperature is raised to 300±10℃, and tritium gas at 10000±200Pa is introduced. The reaction is carried out for 15 hours, thereby completing the tritium absorption of the titanium thin film.

[0082] The nanoporous power generation component 100b of a specific embodiment of the present invention includes a transducer layer 110 and a loading layer 120. The loading layer 120 is disposed on the surface of the transducer layer 110 and has nanopores 121.

[0083] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the material of the transducer layer 110 can be silicon carbide or titanium. Silicon, gallium nitride, diamond, and gallium arsenide can also be selected.

[0084] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the material of the loading layer 120 can be titanium, vanadium, zirconium, erbium, magnesium, titanium-manganese alloy, titanium-chromium alloy, titanium-iron alloy, titanium-niobium alloy, titanium-copper alloy, titanium-manganese-nitrogen alloy, zirconium-chromium alloy, zirconium-manganese alloy, zirconium-chromium-iron-nickel alloy, zirconium-cobalt alloy, magnesium-nickel alloy, magnesium-copper alloy, magnesium-iron alloy, magnesium-titanium alloy, lanthanum-nickel alloy, etc.

[0085] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, nanopores 121 are diffusely distributed on the surface of the loading layer 120. The nanopores 121 can occupy the surrounding vacancies of titanium atoms to the greatest extent, and when tritium is filled, tritium can more easily reach the theoretical maximum tritium absorption capacity of titanium. At the same time, the loading layer 120 does not expand during the tritium absorption process.

[0086] In addition, as a preferred option, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the nanoporous power generation device 100b also includes a tritium absorption-enhancing layer 130, which is disposed on the surface of the deuterium-containing loading layer. The method for preparing the tritium absorption-enhancing layer 130 is as follows: after step S1 is completed and before step S2 is performed, the tritium absorption-enhancing layer 130 is prepared on the surface of the deuterium-containing loading layer. Specifically, the tritium absorption-enhancing layer 130 is prepared on the surface of the titanium deuteride thin film using magnetron sputtering. A palladium target with a purity of 99.999% and argon gas with a purity of 99.999% are used to prepare a palladium thin film with a thickness of 20±5 nm on the surface of the titanium deuteride thin film, and the deposition vacuum degree is better than 5.0×10⁻⁶. -5 Pa, argon flow rate of 30±2 sccm, deposition temperature of 100±10℃, deposition bias voltage of 70±10V, deposition pressure of 0.5±0.1Pa, deposition time of 10±1min, and deposition power of 20±3W were used to prepare palladium films on the surface of titanium deuteride films.

[0087] In some specific embodiments, the isotope battery includes the above-described nanoporous power generation component 100b, in which the nanopores 121 are occupied by tritium.

[0088] The nanoporous power generation component, isotope battery, and preparation method of the isotope battery provided in this embodiment have the following beneficial effects:

[0089] 1. Lowering the tritium absorption temperature without high-temperature activation. In existing technologies, the dissociation of tritium at the activation sites on the surface of hydrogen storage materials into tritium atoms and their diffusion into the metal interior to form hydrides requires relatively high temperatures. For example, in the process of titanium absorbing hydrogen, hydrogen absorption begins at 250°C, and the hydrogen concentration in titanium only approaches the theoretical value when the temperature rises to around 450°C. The present invention uses a magnetron sputtering method to prepare a deuterium-containing loading layer, followed by dedeuteration, resulting in a large number of nanopores dispersed in the loading layer, which can promote tritium diffusion and reduce the tritium absorption activation energy. In addition, during the heating and dedeuteration process, the escape path of deuterium atoms becomes the path for tritium atoms to diffuse into the metal during the tritium absorption process, further accelerating the diffusion.

[0090] 2. It possesses low-temperature activation performance, eliminating the need for high-temperature activation. Hydrogen storage materials exhibit high activity and are therefore highly susceptible to contamination by impurities such as carbon and oxygen in the air, forming an oxide layer that occupies surface activation sites and hinders the dissociation and diffusion of tritium gas. Therefore, high-temperature activation is necessary before tritium adsorption can proceed. In this invention, the preparation of the loading layer and the deuteration process are both carried out under high vacuum and at a specific temperature. The deuterium gas escaping to the surface of the deuterated hydrogen storage material undergoes a reduction reaction with the oxide layer on the surface of the deuterated hydrogen storage material, removing the oxide layer. This provides a large number of activation sites for subsequent tritium adsorption, thus eliminating the need for high-temperature activation.

[0091] 3. Eliminating phase transition deformation and avoiding damage to the transducer. In conventional hydrogen absorption, the hydrogen storage material expands as the concentration of hydrogen atoms increases, generating significant internal stress. Since the transducer, being a semiconductor material, is highly brittle, it is easily damaged during hydrogen absorption. This invention proposes pre-positioning deuterium atoms in the hydrogen storage material, allowing these atoms to occupy all interstitial spaces within the lattice. The expanded deuterated hydrogen storage material is then directly deposited onto the transducer. Subsequently, the deuterated hydrogen storage material is heated to release all the deuterium atoms occupying the interstitial spaces, resulting in a hydrogen storage material with numerous interstitial vacancies. During tritium absorption, tritium atoms refill the interstitial spaces in the hydrogen storage material. Since the radii of deuterium and tritium atoms are similar, no expansion stress is generated in the hydrogen storage material during tritium adsorption, thus protecting the transducer.

[0092] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0093] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0094] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0095] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0096] In this invention, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0097] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Any changes, modifications, substitutions and variations made to the above embodiments by those skilled in the art are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A nanoporous power generation module, characterized in that, include: Transducer layer; as well as, A loading layer is pre-installed on the surface of the transducer layer, and the loading layer has pre-installed nanopores.

2. The nanoporous power generation module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset nanopore loading layer has multiple nanopores, and each nanopore is diffusely distributed in the loading layer.

3. The nanoporous power generation module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Also includes: A tritium-enhancing layer is disposed on the surface of the loading layer.

4. An isotope battery, characterized in that, The nanoporous power generation component according to claim 2, wherein the nanopores are occupied by tritium.

5. A method for preparing an isotope battery, used to prepare the isotope battery as described in claim 4, characterized in that, include: S1: In the first environment, a deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared on the surface of the transducer layer to obtain a passive power generation module; S2: Place the passive power generation component in a deuterium desorption environment for at least a first preset time to desorb deuterium, thereby obtaining a power generation component with a nanoporous loading layer on the surface of the transducer layer, wherein the loading layer has nanopores; S3: Place the nanoporous power generation component in a tritium-absorbing environment for at least a second preset time to absorb tritium, thereby obtaining an active power generation component, wherein the nanopores are occupied by tritium; S4: Using at least one of the active power generation components, and drawing out the positive and negative electrodes from the transducer layer, the isotope battery is obtained.

6. The method for preparing an isotope battery according to claim 5, characterized in that, Step S1 includes: the first environment is a vacuum environment, and the deuterium-containing loading layer is prepared in the first environment using a magnetron sputtering method.

7. The method for preparing an isotope battery according to claim 6, characterized in that, Argon and deuterium are introduced into the first environment, wherein the ratio of the argon flow rate to the deuterium flow rate is in the range of 1 / 4 to 2 / 3.

8. The method for preparing an isotope battery according to claim 7, characterized in that, The ratio of the argon gas flow rate to the deuterium gas flow rate is 1 / 2.

9. The method for preparing an isotope battery according to claim 5, characterized in that, The temperature range of the deuterium desorption environment is 245°C to 265°C.

10. The method for preparing an isotope battery according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that, After step S1 and before step S2, the method for preparing the isotope battery further includes: preparing a tritium-enhancing layer on the surface of the deuterium-containing loading layer.

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