The world's first nuclear battery, which uses a radioactive isotope embedded in a diamond, could power small devices for thousands of years, scientists say.
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The nuclear battery uses the reaction of a diamond placed near a radioactive source to generate electricity, scientists from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom explained on December 4. No motion — neither linear nor rotational — is required. This means that no energy is required to move a magnet through a coil or to rotate an armature in a magnetic field to generate electricity, as is required in conventional power sources.
The nuclear diamond battery collects fast-moving electrons excited by radiation, similar to how solar power uses photovoltaic cells to convert photons into electricity, the scientists said.
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Scientists from the same university first demonstrated a prototype diamond battery – which used nickel-63 as a radioactive source – in 2017. In the new project, the team developed a battery made of radioactive carbon-14 embedded in engineered diamonds.
The researchers chose carbon-14 as the source material because it emits short-range radiation, which is quickly absorbed by any solid material – meaning there are no concerns about radiation damage. Although carbon-14 would be dangerous if swallowed or touched with bare hands, the diamond that holds it in prevents short-range radiation from escaping.
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The nuclear diamond battery could be used in a variety of applications, including electronics, medical devices and space travel, the scientists said. Specific uses include X-ray machines and medical devices that need to run for long periods of time but require low power, such as pacemakers, and machines that operate in harsh and dangerous environments, such as oil and gas rigs on the seabed. The battery could also be made small enough to power radio frequency tags to locate and track devices and payloads on Earth or in space.
Source: livescience
