Chinese Firm Develops ‘Nuclear Battery’

Ruby Thakur
January 19, 2024
165

A start-up in China has created a new battery that it claims can generate electricity for 50 years without the need for charging or maintenance. A report in The Independent, it’s a nuclear battery developed by Beijing-based Betavolt, And don’t imagine a massive size after reading the word “nuclear”.

Chinese Firm Develops ‘Nuclear Battery’

Why In News

A start-up in China has created a new battery that it claims can generate electricity for 50 years without the need for charging or maintenance. A report in The Independent, it’s a nuclear battery developed by Beijing-based Betavolt, And don’t imagine a massive size after reading the word “nuclear”.

Betavolt has managed to squeeze 63 isotopes into that module that’s smaller than a coin, the outlet further said in its report.
The company said it is the first battery in the world to realise the miniaturisation of atomic energy.

All About Battery

The next-generation battery is already being tested and will be mass produced for commercial applications like phones and drones.
“Betavolt atomic energy batteries can meet the needs of long-lasting power supply in multiple scenarios, such as aerospace, AI equipment, medical equipment, microprocessors, advanced sensors, small drones and micro-robots,”.
“This new energy innovation will help China gain a leading edge in the new round of the AI technological revolution,” it further said.

A nuclear battery converts radioisotope energy into electrical energy, and has an advantage over other types of batteries due to its high energy density. Such batteries use energy from the decay of a radioactive isotope to generate electricity.
Nevertheless, the newly developed nuclear battery has a layered structure which apparently makes it fire resistant and jerk proof — which means it is not likely to explode when there’s a sudden external force applied on the device running a nuclear applied on the device running a nuclear battery.

The battery is also said to be capable of working in temperatures ranging from –60 degrees Celsius to 120 degrees Celsius.
It measures 15 x 15 x 5 millimetres and is made of wafer-thin layers of nuclear isotopes and diamond semiconductors, as per Futurism.
The nuclear battery currently generates 100 microwatts of power at 3 volts. However, the goal is to reach a 1-watt power output by 2025.
Betavolt said the radiation poses no danger to the human body, making it usable in medical devices such as pacemakers.
The technology used in the battery taps into the energy from decaying isotopes, a concept that was first explored in the 20th century. It then converts this energy into electricity.
China has been working towards miniaturising nuclear batteries under its 14th Five-Year Plan from 2021-2025.
However, The Goal Is To Reach A 1-watt Power Output By 2025. Betavolt Said The Radiation Poses No Danger To The Human Body, Making It Usable In Medical Devices Such As Pacemakers.

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Ruby Thakur

General Studies Lecturer SSBCrackExams, BSc In PCM, Trained Students For State Services Exams. Expertise in Geography ,Polity & Current Affairs. Love Travelling.