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Energy


BETAVOLT SAYS ITS DIAMOND NUCLEAR BATTERY CAN POWER DEVICES FOR 50 YEARS

By David Szondy
January 16, 2024
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Betavolt says its diamond nuclear battery can power devices for 50 years


The BV100 is smaller than a coin
Betavolt
View 2 Images
1/2
Exploded view of the BV100
Betavolt
2/2
The BV100 is smaller than a coin
Betavolt


China's Betavolt New Energy Technology has unveiled a new modular nuclear
battery that uses a combination of a nickel-63 (⁶³Ni) radioactive isotope and a
4th-generation diamond semiconductor and can power a device for 50 years.



Nuclear batteries may sound like something super-advanced, but they've been
around in one form or another since the early 1950s. Most of these are what are
called radio-thermal generators, which turn the heat from decaying radioactive
elements into electricity by some sort of thermocouple or a Stirling engine.

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In 2016, a new principle was introduced, which uses diamond layers doped with
radioactive isotopes – in the case of the first attempt, carbon-14 (¹⁴C). The
idea is to select an isotope that releases Beta (β⁻) particles, which are
essentially high-energy, high-speed electrons or positrons. When these are
released, the diamond matrix acts as a semiconductor to generate an electric
current.

Exploded view of the BV100
Betavolt

Betavolt's new battery, called the BV100, uses two single-crystal diamond
semiconductor layers with a thickness of 10 microns each sandwiching a 2-micron
layer of ⁶³Ni. Each one of these sandwiches can produce current, but they can
also be stacked or linked like old-fashioned voltaic cells to form hundreds of
independent unit modules that work together to boost the current.



The whole thing is sealed in a protective case to shield against radiation
exposure and to protect the battery against physical damage. The BV100 can
produce 100 microwatts at 3 volts and measures 15 x 15 x 5 mm. Beavolt estimates
that such batteries could one day power a mobile phone so it never needs
recharging or keep a small drone in the air indefinitely.

According to the company, the BV100 is in pilot production with an eye on mass
production. A larger one-watt version is expected in 2025. The energy density of
the BV100 is rated at 10 times that of lithium batteries and is not prone to
fire or explosions. Since it generates electricity rather than stores it in the
form of chemical reactions, it is not subject to recharging cycle problems. The
⁶³Ni eventually decays into non-radioactive copper that poses a minimal
environmental risk.



Source: Betavolt




TAGS

EnergyBatteriesNuclearElectricity
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10 comments
David Szondy
David Szondy is a playwright, author and journalist based in Seattle,
Washington. A retired field archaeologist and university lecturer, he has a
background in the history of science, technology, and medicine with a particular
emphasis on aerospace, military, and cybernetic subjects. In addition, he is the
author of four award-winning plays, a novel, reviews, and a plethora of
scholarly works ranging from industrial archaeology to law. David has worked as
a feature writer for many international magazines and has been a feature writer
for New Atlas since 2011.


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10 comments
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Thony January 17, 2024 03:28 AM
Sounds like a promisine review/update of old techs. cant wait to see 1st real
applications to be convinced :3
Captain Danger January 17, 2024 07:21 AM
I wonder how they calculate energy density. 100 micro watts at 3 volts works out
to .00003 Amps at 15X15X5mm that does not seem very small for the power output.
They may say that is over 50 years which could be used to skew the numbers in
their favour.
usugo January 17, 2024 09:51 AM
according to my calculations it has a power density of 10mW/Kg or 0.01W/Kg
a lithium ion battery has a power density of about 300W/Kg
guzmanchinky January 17, 2024 10:25 AM
What a day it would be when we have electric devices (cars, planes, homes?!?)
that could run for 50 years without charging. Probably not in my lifetime, but
then again my dad was born in 1929 and cannot comprehend how I can Facetime
someone in Europe, and technology is advancing faster than ever...
Username January 17, 2024 04:09 PM
Sounds great for watches... depending on price.
anthony88 January 17, 2024 05:24 PM
I like the square form factor. We've been putting round cylinders and disks into
mainly square devices for a long time. Maybe these will save space and fit in
with the design architecture of most devices.
paul314 January 18, 2024 07:17 AM
There are sensors and other things that can run on 100 microwatts of average
power. So this thing has the potential to be useful. I'm imagining circuits
embedded in the structure of buildings/roads/bridges/dams where you really want
something that can function unattended for 50 years or more. Of course, that 50
years is an estimate -- I'd like to see at least 5-10 years of data before
relying on these for the long term.
Thony January 19, 2024 07:40 AM
One interesing way of using it would on home appliance : When you turn of your
TV or else, they're mostly still in standby. It is a hugh among of wasted
electricity.
Better way would be an integrated device that completly turn of Hi-fi and else
while holding data and parameters. As i'm writing this, i think it already
around us one way or another but not widly implemented, so maybe we have some
solution with improvements here?
yurixyurii January 20, 2024 10:33 PM
I've seen some and read some that have said that they made strong capacity
batteries but I haven't seen or read anywhere where they have started using them
to power the world or devices, other than traditional cars and improving
everyday batteries. I hope the world may advance and start using improved
batteries in devices and in the power grid for a better more efficient and safe
way or providing power to the world and households. during cold weather or heavy
rain , the power grid sometimes fails and it can be hard times for the world to
live through and the repairs end up costing a lot.
Keith January 21, 2024 03:23 PM
This one sounds more promising.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_battery
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