Mn2+ induced significant improvement and robust stability of radioluminescence in Cs3Cu2I5 for high-performance nuclear battery.

Fluorescent type nuclear battery consisting of scintillator and photovoltaic device enables semipermanent power source for devices working under harsh circumstances without instant energy supply. In spite of the progress of device structure design, the development of scintillators is far behind. Here, a Cs₃Cu₂I₅: Mn scintillator showing a high light yield of ~67000 ph MeV⁻¹ at 564 nm is presented. Doping and intrinsic features endow Cs₃Cu₂I₅: Mn with robust thermal stability and irradiation hardness that 71% or >95% of the initial radioluminescence intensity can be maintained in an ultra-broad temperature range of 77 K-433 K or after a total irradiation dose of 2590 Gy, respectively. These superiorities allow the fabrication of efficient and stable nuclear batteries, which show an output improvement of 237% respect to the photovoltaic device without scintillator. Luminescence mechanisms including self-trapped exciton, energy transfer, and impact excitation are proposed for the anomalous dramatic radioluminescence improvement. This work will open a window for the fields of nuclear battery and radiography. Fluorescent-type nuclear batteries are a promising semi-permanent power source, but performance is hindered by scintillator development. Here the authors report a scintillator with high light yield and stability, which leads to improved performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]