Nuclear batteries that run through thermoelectric energy production have been in use for decades by the aerospace industry. These work by converting the heat generated by the decay of nuclear isotopes into electricity. Their main advantage is that they can last a long time, so they are ideal for putting on deep space probes. These batteries are heavy and operate at high temperatures – not suitable for powering your vacuum cleaner. There are also non-thermal nuclear batteries, which do not depend on a heat gradient to generate electricity. There are different types depending on the decay particle and the mechanism for converting it into electricity. These can be small cool devices, and can function safely for commercial. In fact, for a while nuclear powered pacemakers were in common use, until lithium-ion batteries became powerful enough to replace them.
One type of non-thermal nuclear battery is betavoltaic, which is widely seen as the most likely to achieve widespread commercial use.
Their battery uses nickel-63 as a power source, which decays safely into copper. The design incorporates a crystal diamond semiconductor, which is not new (nuclear diamond batteries have been in the news for years). In a device as small as a coin they can generate 100 microwatts (at 3 volts) for “50 years”.
This battery itself is so powerful, imagine if it is used in medicine! People who suffer from heart issues and have to use pacemakers, could use the belavoltic battery for them, and wouldn’t have to worry about medical complications for a long time. This would be both beneficial for the general public and the professionals of the medical field.
NDB says its batteries could last up to 28,000 years, powering everything from smartphones and medical devices to cars and planes. The question stands: how does the general public get access to this battery? What about people that are really in need of it? These questions are left partially unanswered…however we can give you a good answer if you sign up in our website.