This is an exceptional discovery, which will undoubtedly be able to revolutionize our lives within a short time from the moment it is applied from a practical point of view: the revolutionary “diamond battery”capable of providing energy for an exceptional amount of time, given that we are talking about thousands of years.
The incredible result derives from the work of a team of scientists and engineers from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKEA) and the University of Bristol: the researchers managed to design and create an energy accumulator of extraordinary durability based on the exploitation of the slow decay of radiocarbon, or carbon-14. This radioactive isotope of carbon, already known among archaeologists for its application in systems for dating organic materials, is used in extremely low quantities and placed in the battery in a totally safe compartment.
The slow process of decay of C-14 is exploited to produce low-power electricity for an extremely long time, given that we are talking about even 5 thousand years: a supply that can be of fundamental importance for powering medical devices that are very difficult or even impossible to recharge, such as eye implants, hearing aids or pacemakers. It will therefore be possible to say goodbye to the risk of the energy running out and therefore also to the need to surgically intervene on a patient to replace the battery, with all the risks that an operation always entails.
Furthermore, according to the researchers, the diamond battery could be applied in even extreme situations such as to power space vehicle systems, and more generally in those situations in which a large amount of energy is not needed.
“Diamond batteries offer a safe and sustainable way to provide small continuous powers, in the order of microwattsthis is an emerging technology that uses a man-made diamond to securely encase small amounts of carbon-14″explains Ukaea Tritium Fuel Cycle Director Sarah Clark. The accumulator exploits the decay of radiocarbon, which has a half-life, i.e. the time in which its initial mass is exhausted, of 5,700 years: its operation closely resembles that of photovoltaic panels. The latter convert light into electricity using the movement of photons, while the new battery captures electrons that move rapidly within the diamond structure.
“Our technology can support a wide range of important applications, from space technologies to safety devices to medical implants”specifies the holder of the chair of
Materials Science at the University of Bristol Tom Scott, “We are excited to be able to explore all possible fields of application in the coming years by working with industry and research partners.”