ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Sam Altman steps down as Oklo board chair
Advanced nuclear company Oklo Inc. has new leadership for its board of directors as billionaire Sam Altman is stepping down from the position he has held since 2015. The move is meant to open new partnership opportunities with OpenAI, where Altman is CEO, and other artificial intelligence companies.
D. Ghasemabadi, H. Zaki Dizaji, M. Abdollahzadeh
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 199 | Number 3 | March 2025 | Pages 476-489
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2370675
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This research aims to investigate and analyze the optimal beta radioisotopes for use in betavoltaic batteries, focusing on enhancing a betavoltaic battery’s performance and efficiency. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 1252 radioisotopes, among which are 955 beta emitters and 502 beta-minus decay modes. We identified 27 pure beta emitters and further narrowed these down to select the most suitable candidates for betavoltaic applications. We utilized the ICRP 107 report and DECDATA auxiliary software to evaluate some characteristics and features of beta emitters. Our evaluation led to the selection of two groups of radioisotopes—3H and 63Ni from pure beta emitters, and 147Pm, 151Sm, 171Tm, and 155Eu from impure beta emitters—based on their power, minimum volume factor, and cell and source dimensions. The selected radioisotopes demonstrate the potential to significantly improve betavoltaic battery design, offering a balance between energy output and realistic dimensions for practical applications. The findings provide a framework for selecting and utilizing suitable beta emitter radioisotopes, which is crucial for advancing betavoltaic battery technology. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of the characteristics required for optimal radioisotope selection, paving the way for more efficient and compact betavoltaic batteries.
