Nuclear battery created which could last for 100 years

 Built to last: Nuclear battery that could last for 100 years created by Chinese scientists 

Chinese researchers have reportedly announced the development of China’s first carbon-based nuclear battery, which they claim can function for up to a century without recharging. The researchers are confident that the battery could power implantable devices like pacemakers or brain-computer interfaces permanently. Researchers at the Northwest Normal University in Gansu, China, have created the first nuclear battery made out of radioactive carbon which can last 100 years. The battery can be used to power devices in remote locations. According to a South China Morning Post report, researchers at Northwest Normal University in Gansu province announced that the battery could power pacemakers, spacecraft and devices in extreme environments such as deep-sea and polar regions.

As the world looks to transition to cleaner energy sources, scientists have been working on innovative solutions which could meet our energy requirements without warming the planet. While wind and solar energy have reached commercial success, energy generation is intermittent and dependent on an external source, making it unreliable in remote locations. On the other hand, a nuclear battery uses the radioactive nature of isotopes to generate electricity. Since the half-life of the radioactive material usually extends to hundreds of years, nuclear batteries can be a reliable source of energy over longer periods of time. The university stated that while the battery is designed for a 50-year lifespan, it could last over 100 years under extreme conditions. It also highlighted the battery’s green and low-carbon characteristics, suggesting potential benefits for China’s new energy sector.

Scientists at the Northwest Normal University have built China’s first such nuclear battery using carbon-14, a widely used but equally rare isotope of carbon, popularly known as radiocarbon. The radioactive decay of carbon-14 is weak and has a half-life of 5,730 years. The researchers built a nuclear clock using a compound semiconductor made from silicon and carbon, which generated a power output of 433 Nano watts. The team has run an LED lamp powered by this battery for over four months, emitting more than 35,000 pulses. Carbon exists in three isotopes in nature. Carbon-12 is the most abundant isotope, accounting for 99.8 % of all carbon found on the planet. Carbon-13 makes up around one % of carbon, while carbon-14 is so rare that it occurs only once in a billion carbon atoms. 

Zhang Guanghui, the university’s technical lead on the project, stated that the battery’s longevity is due to the long half-life of carbon-14, which is 5,730 years, meaning the battery could “theoretically” last thousands of years. The researchers are confident that the battery could permanently power implantable devices like pacemakers or brain-computer interfaces. However, battery performance is retained even under extreme temperatures of minus 148 Fahrenheit (-100 degrees Celsius) to 392 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). The researchers suggest deploying power devices in remote locations and outer space. China began mass production of carbon-14 isotope at a nuclear facility, which could help it make nuclear batteries on a large scale. The researchers sourced carbon-14 to make a clock at Beita Pharmatech, a China-based company that develops compounds related to carbon-14. Before this, China relied on imports from Canada, South Africa, Russia and Australia for its carbon-14 but is now building inland capacity to source this rare isotope. 

At the outset, China may have made history by making its first nuclear battery. However, this is not just a milestone for what it can achieve in medicine or space research in the future. Instead, it signals a tectonic shift in China’s capabilities at a deeper level. Last year, the Asian country began mass production of carbon-14 in a commercial nuclear reactor in Zhejiang, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said. Researchers at Northwest Normal University are also planning to develop automated carbon-13 isotope detection equipment along with electromagnetic separators which will aid in establishing a system for the industrial production of carbon-14. Much like in other fields, China isn’t just trying to reach a certain milestone with new technology but is also looking to learn more about the ecosystem that fuels it. Slowly and surely, it aims for a leadership role in research and development to assert its dominance. It is important to note, half-life refers to the time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay.