How Diamond Batteries Can Provide Continuous Power For Thousands Of Years

Last Updated:December 06, 2024, 17:53 IST

The battery’s longevity stems from carbon-14, with a 5,700-year half-life. Thus it will retain 50% of its power even after millennia

Scientists have successfully created a unique diamond battery which can power devices for thousands of years. (Representative/AP File)

The field of energy presents numerous possibilities and faces significant demand. Worldwide, scientists are striving to develop batteries that offer continuous power, readily available materials, user-friendliness, and safety. Concurrently, research into harnessing renewable energy sources is also underway.

In a significant breakthrough, scientists have successfully created a unique diamond battery. This battery boasts an exceptional capability: it can continuously power devices for thousands of years. Researchers assert that this energy source is suitable for deployment in a wide range of environments and poses no environmental hazards.

How does this battery work?

The University of Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) have collaborated to create the world’s first carbon-14 diamond battery. This innovative battery utilises carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon, to generate energy.

Carbon-14, known for its use in carbon dating, continuously emits radioactive radiation. In this battery, the carbon-14 is encased within a diamond, providing both structural integrity and a safe method of harnessing the emitted radiation for energy production.

Unlike solar panels, which utilise sunlight, this innovative battery harnesses energy from radioactive radiation emitted by carbon-14. Crucially, the radioactive carbon is securely encased within a diamond structure. This casing serves a dual purpose: it absorbs harmful radiation while facilitating the generation of a low but usable electrical current.

Scientists are enthusiastic about a new battery with the potential to last thousands of years. They explained that the battery’s longevity is linked to the use of carbon-14, which has a half-life of 5,700 years. This means that even after several millennia, the battery would retain 50% of its power.

Speaking about the safety of the battery, Sarah Clark, director of tritium fuel cycle at UKAEA said, “Diamond batteries are a safe and sustainable way to continuously deliver microwatt-level electricity. The battery is an emerging technology that uses manufactured diamonds to safely enclose small amounts of carbon-14."

Furthermore, the battery provides a way to better utilise the carbon-14 produced as nuclear waste in nuclear plants, which originates from graphite.

According to researchers the battery could be used in numerous devices where traditional energy sources are impractical. It could be particularly useful in healthcare, where small amounts of energy are required continuously, such as in pacemakers and hearing aids.

Patients would then not need to undergo battery replacements throughout their lifetime. Furthermore, in space missions, such batteries could power satellites and other equipment for years without the need for replacement.

Recently, NASA had to shut down Voyager 2’s plasma science instrument because the spacecraft was running low on energy. Both NASA Voyager spacecraft generate heat from plutonium-238, which decays by half every 87.7 years. Now, 40 years after launch, less than 30 per cent of the initial energy remains.

Voyager and other similar space missions outside the solar system need heavy radioisotope thermoelectric generators that can convert radio radiation into electricity. However, carbon-14 diamond batteries could make these missions last longer than Voyager.

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