Beijing-based company BetaVolt says its nuclear battery is the world’s first miniaturized nuclear battery. 63 atomic isotopes are combined in a module smaller than a coin.
Chinese startup BetaVolt has unveiled a new battery that the company claims can generate electricity for 50 years without charging or maintenance.
Chinese startup BetaVolt has unveiled a new battery that the company claims can generate electricity for 50 years without charging or maintenance. Beijing-based company BetaVolt says its nuclear battery is the world’s first miniaturized nuclear battery. 63 atomic isotopes are combined in a module smaller than a coin.
The company says this next-generation battery has already entered the testing phase and will eventually be mass-produced for commercial devices like phones and drones.
Betavolt nuclear energy batteries can meet the long-lasting power needs of a variety of devices such as aerospace, artificial intelligence devices, medical equipment, microprocessors, advanced sensors, small drones and micro-robots, the company said in a statement. .
“This new energy innovation will help China take the lead in a new era of artificial intelligence technological revolution.”
The battery converts the energy released from the decaying isotopes into electricity. This is a process that was first discovered in the 20th century.
Scientists in the Soviet Union and the United States were able to develop technology for use in spacecraft, underwater systems, and remote science stations, but thermonuclear batteries were both expensive and bulky.
The miniaturization and commercialization of nuclear batteries was launched under China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, which aims to strengthen the country’s economy between 2021 and 2025, while research institutes in the US and Europe are also working on making such batteries.
BetaVolt says its first nuclear battery can deliver a hundred microwatts of power and a voltage of three volts while measuring 15×15×5 cubic millimeters. However, the company plans to produce a one-watt battery by 2025.
The small size of nuclear batteries means they can be used in series to produce more electricity. According to the company’s concept, mobile phones using these batteries will never need to be charged while drones will be able to fly continuously.
BetaVolt claims that the battery’s layered design also means it won’t catch fire or explode in the event of a sudden impact. This battery is capable of working in temperatures ranging from minus 60 degrees Celsius to 120 degrees Celsius.
The company says that the nuclear energy battery produced by BetaVolt is completely safe. It emits no radiation and is suitable for use in pacemakers, artificial hearts and hearing aid medical devices in the human body.
Nuclear energy batteries are environmentally friendly. At the end of the decay period, 63 isotopes are converted into stable isotope of copper which is non-radioactive and does not pose any danger or pollution to the environment.
