A Battery made from nuclear waste that could hold up to 28,000 years
NDB, a California-based start-up comes out with the nano-diamond battery’s power comes from radioactive isotopes used in nuclear reactors. It has made through a self-charging battery by trapping carbon-14 (C14) nuclear waste in artificial diamond-case. The company claims the battery can run for 28,000 years on a single charge.
The battery is said to power space equipment in rockets. It can power the electrical needs of space crafts, like providing power to cockpits and assisting launch into the upper atmosphere.
The US-based company says that the battery can be used in electric vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, drones, watches, cameras, health monitors and even sensors. It is also said to be extremely safe and tamper proof as it is coated with non-radioactive diamond which prevents radiation leaks.
The energy is absorbed in the diamond through inelastic scattering, which is used to generate electricity. The battery can be used to power devices and machines of any size, from aircraft and rockets to electric vehicles and smartphones.
The battery works by generating electricity on its own from a shower of electrons as result of radioactive decay scattered and deposited in the artificial diamond-case.
NDB estimates 34 million cubic metres of global nuclear waste will cost over $100 billion to manage and dispose. And a lot of this waste is graphite that is one of the higher risk radioactive waste and one of the most expensive and problematic waste to store.
The company says its battery can be used to power houses, and that any excess electricity generated can be sold to the grid. And, as the new battery need not be replaced, it can be installed in hard to reach places like pacemakers and implants, where regular change of battery is not possible.
The company says the development of the first commercial prototype battery is currently underway and will be available later this year. The company further says, Once it is no longer needed by the rocket, it can be used to power satellites and space stations.
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