{"id":8042,"date":"2025-05-25T07:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/?p=8042"},"modified":"2026-06-29T20:16:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T00:16:38","slug":"years-of-energy-radioactive-battery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/years-of-energy-radioactive-battery\/8042\/","title":{"rendered":"5,730-year half-life makes this diamond nuclear battery the longest-lasting power source ever built"},"content":{"rendered":"

Batteries produce energy, are seemingly simple, and have a fascinating history. The first battery was invented in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and the unit of electric potential, the volt, is named in his honor. <\/span>Batteries can even be made from food like potatoes, and some can last for generations. A specific coin-sized battery was recently created. This battery is radioactive and has a half-life of 5,730 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

A first-of-its-kind battery resulting in years of energy<\/h2>\n

According to scientists at the University of Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the first-of-its-kind nuclear-powered battery, which utilizes a radioactive isotope embedded in a diamond, could power small devices for thousands of years. The University of Bristol scientists declared that the nuclear battery utilizes the reaction of a diamond placed close to a radioactive isotope to spontaneously create energy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Per the scientists, the battery harvests fast-moving electrons resulting from radiation, similar to how solar power uses photovoltaic cells to change photons into electricity. The battery consists of carbon-14 radioactive isotopes embedded in lab-grown diamonds. The scientists decided on carbon-14 as the source material because it emits short-range radiation, which can be easily and quickly absorbed by any solid material, in this case, the diamonds, meaning nuclear energy could be green without side effects.<\/p>\n

“Diamond is the hardest substance known to man; there is literally nothing we could use that could offer more protection.” – Neil Fox, a professor of materials for energy at the University of Bristol.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lasting power lies in diamonds and nuclear energy<\/h2>\n

The scientists reported that a single nuclear diamond battery with 0.04 ounce (1 gram) of carbon-14 could produce 15 joules of daily electricity. In comparison, a standard alkaline AA battery, weighing about 0.7 ounces (20 grams), has an energy-storage rating of 700 joules per gram. This means the AA battery would deliver more power than the nuclear-diamond battery would in the short term, but it would be exhausted within 24 hours.<\/p>\n

In contrast, carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years<\/a><\/strong>, which means the nuclear diamond battery would take that many years before 50% of its energy has been depleted. That is near the age of the world’s oldest civilization. In another comparison point, a spacecraft powered by a carbon-14 diamond battery would reach Alpha Centauri, which is our closest stellar neighbor, approximately 4.4 light-years from Earth, long before its energy was significantly depleted.<\/p>\n

Application possibilities of a radioactive, coin-sized battery<\/h2>\n

Specific uses include X-ray machines and small medical devices that need to operate for a long time but require low power<\/strong>, such as pacemakers and implantable devices, and machines that operate in difficult and dangerous environments, like oil and gas machinery on the seabed.<\/p>\n

The battery’s benefits:<\/h3>\n