nuclear batteries announced

[Max_Rodriguez]

Pretty cool stuff

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8297934.stm

Nuclear batteries are an attractive proposition for many applications because the isotopes that power them can provide a useful amount of current for phenomenally long times - up to hundreds of years or more.

[Adam Grundleger]

New packaging for an old idea.  Not sure about the liquid semiconductor bit, though.  What would separate the polarity (pn junction)?  It's not like a battery with ions in solution, so how would that part work? 

I think public paranoia would kill these products fairly quickly, but I for one would not hesitate to put a Seebeck unit in my laptop or Blackberry, if they could produce one that was small enough and still output enough power.  If I remember correctly, conventional Seebeck generators are only about 8% efficient.