The UK Has Developed The First Carbon-14 Diamond Battery That Can Power Devices For Thousands Of Years

According to the UK Atomic Energy Authority announced on the 4th, researchers from the agency and the University of Bristol have successfully created the world's first carbon-14 diamond battery. This new type of battery has a potential life of thousands of years and is expected to become a very long-lasting energy source. Sarah Clark, director of the tritium fuel cycle at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said that this is an emerging technology that uses artificial diamonds to wrap a small amount of carbon-14, providing continuous microwatt-level power in a safe and sustainable way.

(A low-light-intensity camera captures the faint radio light emitted by a synthetic diamond-like carbon film made from carbon-14 atoms that emit beta rays.)

 

The working principle of this diamond battery is to use the radioactive decay of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 to generate low levels of electrical energy. The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5700 years. Diamond acts as a protective shell for carbon-14, ensuring safety while maintaining its power generation capacity. It works similarly to solar panels, but instead of using light particles (photons), diamond batteries capture fast-moving electrons from the diamond structure. In terms of application scenarios, this new type of battery can be used in medical equipment such as eye implants, hearing aids and pacemakers, minimizing the need for replacement and pain to patients. In addition, it is also suitable for use in extreme environments on Earth and in space.

 

For example, these batteries can power devices such as active radio frequency (RF) tags, which are used to track and identify objects such as spacecraft or payloads. Carbon-14 diamond batteries are said to be able to operate for decades without replacement, making them a promising option for space missions and remote ground applications where traditional battery replacement is not feasible.

About the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the University of Bristol
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is a national research agency under the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which conducts research related to controlled nuclear fusion in the UK and Europe.

The University of Bristol (University of Bristol), referred to as Bristol, developed radioactive diamond batteries as early as 2016. The technology uses nuclear waste to make an artificial diamond that can generate a weak electric current when placed in a radiation field. Since then, power generation has entered the "diamond age".