Nuclear Battery Assembly Guide
Contributors:
Nick Poole
Nick Poole 
A Little Bit of Power
So how much power does it make? Not much. The best measurement we were able to make (using the method outlined by NurdRage) suggests that the maximum power point of this arrangement is 25nW, if you can build a circuit that loads it properly (between 20 and 30nA at about 0.6v).
Having a hard time seeing the graph? Click on the image for a closer look.
Further experiments show that the battery will — given enough time — charge a capacitor to a voltage of 1.5 volts. Using this battery to do any work will likely involve a clever energy harvesting circuit, but keep in mind that this tiny amount of power will continue to flow for about 20 years — the half life of Tritium being 12 years.
