Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A power converter comprising:first and second electrodes;a three-dimensional current collector disposed between the first and second electrodes and electrically coupled to the first electrode;a charge carrier separator disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the three-dimensional current collector;a hole conductor layer disposed on at least a portion of the charge carrier separator and electrically coupled to the second electrode;a counter electrode disposed between the hole conductor layer and the second electrode and electrically coupling the hole conductor layer and the second electrode; andnuclear radiation-emitting material disposed such that at least one nuclear radiation particle emitted by the nuclear radiation-emitting material is incident upon the charge carrier separator;wherein the charge carrier separator is adapted to separate electron-hole pairs generated in the charge carrier separator by impact of the at least one nuclear radiation particle on the charge carrier separator, and further wherein at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material is disposed such that the counter electrode is between the nuclear radiation-emitting material and the charge carrier separator. 2. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the counter electrode is electrically coupled to the second electrode with a conductive adhesive. 3. The power converter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material comprises tritium. 4. The power converter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the charge carrier separator comprises quantum dots. 5. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional current collector comprises a porous Ti/TiO2 material. 6. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the hole conductor layer comprises a p-type semiconductor material comprising CuSCN. 7. The power converter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material is disposed within the three-dimensional current collector. 8. The power converter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material is disposed within the hole conductor layer. 9. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the charge carrier separator comprises a first material and a second material. 10. The power converter of claim 9, wherein the first material is disposed on the at least a portion of the surface of the three-dimensional current collector and the second material is disposed on at least a portion of the first material. 11. The power converter of claim 10, wherein the first material comprises an oxide and the second material comprises quantum dots. 12. An implantable medical device comprising the power converter of claim 1. 13. A power converter comprising:first and second electrodes;a three-dimensional current collector disposed between the first and second electrodes and electrically coupled to the first electrode;a charge carrier separator disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the three-dimensional current collector;a hole conductor layer disposed on at least a portion of the charge carrier separator and electrically coupled to the second electrode;a counter electrode disposed between the hole conductor layer and the second electrode and electrically coupling the hole conductor layer and the second electrode; andnuclear radiation-emitting material disposed such that at least one nuclear radiation particle emitted by the nuclear radiation-emitting material is incident upon the charge carrier separator;wherein the charge carrier separator is adapted to separate electron-hole pairs generated in the charge carrier separator by impact of the at least one nuclear radiation particle on the charge carrier separator, and further wherein at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material is disposed between the hole conductor layer and the counter electrode. 14. The power converter of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the charge carrier separator comprises quantum dots. 15. The power converter of claim 13, wherein the three-dimensional current collector comprises a porous Ti/TiO2 material.