Scientists have developed a new technology that uses nuclear waste to generate clean electricity in a nuclear-powered battery.
Scientists have grown a
man-made diamond that, when placed in a radioactive field, is able to generate a small electrical current.
The development could solve some of the problems of nuclear waste, clean electricity generation and battery life, researchers said.
Man-made diamond is able to produce a charge simply by being placed in close proximity to a radioactive source.
There are no moving parts involved, no emissions generated and no maintenance required, just direct electricity generation.
Long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy has been solved using the prototype 'diamond battery' using Nickel-63 as the radiation source.
Efficiency is improved by utilising carbon-14, a radioactive version of carbon, which is generated in graphite blocks used to moderate the reaction in nuclear power plants
Radioactive carbon-14 is concentrated at the surface of these blocks, making it possible to process it to remove the majority of the radioactive material.
The extracted carbon-14 is then incorporated into a diamond to produce a nuclear-powered battery.
Using carbon-14 the battery would take 5,730 years to reach 50% power, which is about as long as human civilisation has existed.
When can Nuclear Batteries Be used?These can be used when not feasible to charge or replace conventional batteries.
Applications:- Pacemakers
- Satellites
- High altitude drones
- Spacecraft
