The atomic battery was invented by Henry Moseley in 1913. Moseley's device harnessed the energy released from radioactive decay to generate electricity, marking the first functional demonstration of an atomic battery.
Henry Moseley's Contribution
- In 1913, English physicist Henry Moseley built the first atomic battery, also called a "beta cell" or nuclear battery, using a radioactive isotope of radium.
- His design consisted of a glass sphere lined with silver and contained a radium emitter at the center. When the radium decayed, charged particles were emitted and collected on the silver lining, generating a voltage.
- Moseley's invention was the precursor to later radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and other nuclear battery designs.
Legacy
- Atomic batteries, based on the foundational work of Moseley, have since been used for long-life power sources in specialized applications, such as space missions and remote devices.
- Moseley’s 1913 demonstration is recognized as the critical milestone that defined the atomic battery’s principle of converting radioactive decay directly to electrical energy.
