Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method comprising:forming a three-dimensional current collector between first and second electrodes, wherein the three-dimensional current collector is electrically coupled to the first electrode;forming a charge carrier separator on at least a portion of a surface of the three-dimensional current collector;forming a hole conductor layer on at least a portion of the charge carrier separator, wherein the hole conductor layer is electrically coupled to the second electrode;forming nuclear radiation-emitting material proximate the charge carrier separator such that at least one nuclear radiation particle emitted by the nuclear radiation-emitting material is incident upon the charge carrier separator;generating an electron-hole pair in the charge carrier separator by impacting at least one nuclear radiation particle on the charge carrier separator; andseparating the electron-hole pair utilizing the charge carrier separator. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming nuclear radiation-emitting material comprises forming at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material within the hole conductor layer. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein forming at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material within the hole conductor layer comprises exposing the hole conductor layer to tritium gas. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a counter electrode between the hole conductor layer and the second electrode, wherein the counter electrode electrically couples the hole conductor layer and the second electrode. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the nuclear radiation-emitting material comprises forming at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material within the three-dimensional current collector. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein forming the at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material within the three-dimensional current collector comprises depositing tritiated paraffin wax onto the three-dimensional current collector. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein forming the nuclear radiation-emitting material further comprises forming the nuclear radiation-emitting material on the counter electrode. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the nuclear radiation-emitting material on the counter electrode comprises depositing tritiated paraffin wax onto the counter electrode. 9. The method of claim 4, wherein the counter electrode is electrically coupled to the second electrode with a conductive adhesive. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nuclear radiation-emitting material comprises tritium. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the charge carrier separator comprises quantum dots. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional current collector comprises a porous Ti/TiO2 material. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the hole conductor layer comprises a p-type semiconductor material comprising CuSCN. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the charge carrier separator comprises a first material and a second material. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the charger carrier separator comprises disposing the first material on the at least a portion of the surface of the three-dimensional current collector and disposing the second material on at least a portion of the first material. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first material comprises an oxide and the second material comprises quantum dots. 17. A method comprising:forming a counter electrode;disposing a hole conductor layer on at least a portion of the counter electrode;disposing a charge carrier separator on at least a portion of the hole conductor layer;disposing a current collector on at least a portion of the charge carrier separator;electrically connecting a first electrode to the current collector; anddisposing nuclear radiation-emitting material within the hole conductor layer. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising electrically connecting a second electrode to the counter electrode. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein electrically connecting the second electrode to the counter electrode comprises disposing a conductive adhesive between the second electrode and the counter electrode. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein disposing nuclear radiation-emitting material within the hole conductor layer comprises exposing the hole conductor layer to tritium gas.