On January 13, it was reported that recently, Beijing Betavolt New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Betavolt") announced through the official website that it had successfully developed a new "micro atomic energy (nuclear) battery", which integrates nickel 63 nuclear isotope decay technology and China's first diamond semiconductor (4th generation semiconductor) module, which can achieve 50 years of stable self-power generation, no charging, no maintenance, has entered the pilot stage, and will be mass-produced and put into the market.
Betavolt said that this marks that China has made disruptive innovations in the two high-tech fields of atomic energy batteries and fourth-generation diamond semiconductors at the same time, and is "far ahead" of European and American scientific research institutions and enterprises.
△ Judging from the size of this miniature atomic battery, it is smaller than a 5-dime coin, which seems to mean that a new smartphone without charging is expected to be born, which will bring new opportunities for further innovation in smartphones and wearable devices.
On the evening of January 13, Xinzhixun also exclusively contacted Zhang Wei, chairman and CEO of Betavolt, to make an exclusive disclosure of the miniature atomic energy battery.
It can achieve 50 years of battery life, and the first civilian miniature atomic energy battery is about to be mass-produced and marketed
According to reports, atomic energy batteries, also known as nuclear batteries or radioisotope batteries, work on the principle of using the energy released by the decay of nuclear isotopes to absorb and convert into electrical energy through semiconductor converters. This is a high-tech field that the United States and the Soviet Union focused on research in the 60s of the last century, and currently there are only thermonuclear batteries for aerospace. However, this kind of battery has the problems of large volume and weight, high internal temperature, high price, and cannot be used for civilian use. In recent years, the miniaturization, modularization and civilian use of atomic energy batteries have become the goal and direction of European and American countries. China's 14th Five-Year Plan and Vision 2035 also put forward the commercialization of nuclear technology and the multi-purpose development of nuclear isotopes as future development trends.
The development of Betavolt's miniature nuclear energy battery takes a completely new technological path, generating an electric current through the semiconductor transition of β particles (electrons) emitted by the radioactive source nickel-63. To do this, Betavolt's team of scientists has developed a unique single-crystal diamond semiconductor with a thickness of only 10 microns, placing a 2-micron thick nickel-63 sheet between two diamond semiconductor converters to convert the decay energy of the radioactive source into an electric current to form a separate unit. In addition, the nuclear battery is modular, can be composed of dozens or hundreds of independent unit modules, and can be used in series/parallel, so battery products of different sizes and capacity power can be manufactured.
Zhang Wei, chairman and CEO of Beta Volt, said that the first product the company will launch is the BV100, which is the world's first nuclear battery to be mass-produced, with a power of 100 microwatts, a voltage of 3V, and a volume of 15×15×5 cubic millimeters, which is smaller than a coin. Nuclear batteries are generating 8.64 joules per day and 3,153 joules per year. Multiple of these batteries can be used in series/parallel to provide higher power.
At present, this product can meet the power supply of aerospace equipment, AI equipment, medical devices, MEMS systems, advanced sensors, small drones, and micro robots in multiple scenarios with long battery life.
Zhang Wei told Xinzhixun: "The first product will be launched within a year."
In addition, Betavolt plans to launch a 1-watt battery in 2025. Zhang Wei said that if the policy allows, atomic batteries can make a mobile phone never charge, so that drones, which can only fly for 15 minutes, can fly all the time.
ACCORDING TO THE DATA, BEIJING BETAVOLT NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. WAS ESTABLISHED IN APRIL 2021 WITH A REGISTERED CAPITAL OF 1 BILLION YUAN, AND THE LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE MUSOV ZAUR (MUSOV ZAUR), THE COMPANY IS COMMITTED TO BECOMING A HIGH-TECH ENTERPRISE INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, SERVICE, SALES, IMPORT AND EXPORT TRADE, AND ITS MAIN PRODUCTS ARE ATOMIC ENERGY BATTERIES, FOURTH-GENERATION DIAMOND SEMICONDUCTORS AND MATERIALS, ULTRA-LONG CARBON NANOTUBES AND SUPERCAPACITORS.
The five advantages are outstanding, which is safer than lithium batteries
According to Betavolt, the miniature nuclear energy battery it has developed has five major advantages:
1. High energy density: the energy density is more than 10 times that of ternary lithium batteries, and 3300 Haowah of electrical energy can be stored in 1 gram battery;
2. Long service life: It can achieve 50 years of self-power generation, and there is no concept of the number of cycles (2000 times of charge and discharge) of electrochemical cells.
3. High stability: The power generation power of the atomic battery is stable, will not change due to harsh environment and load, can work normally in the range of minus 120 degrees and minus -60 degrees, and there is no self-discharge;
4. High security: no fire, no explosion, no external radiation for acupuncture and shooting. It can be suitable for medical devices such as pacemakers, artificial hearts and cochlea in the human body;
5. Environmental friendliness: The half-life of "nickel-63" is 36963.51±54.79 days (101 years), and after the decay period, the nickel-63 isotope as a radioactive source becomes a stable isotope of copper, which is not radioactive and does not pose any threat or pollution to the environment. Therefore, unlike existing chemical batteries, this nuclear battery does not require an expensive recycling process, eliminating the problem of waste disposal after the battery has reached the end of its useful life, which is very environmentally friendly.
Among them, for the safety of atomic energy batteries, which everyone is most concerned about, Zhang Wei told Xinzhixun that the radioactive source "nickel-63" selected for Betavolt's atomic energy battery is the safest and ideal material, with soft β radiation (maximum 67 keV), and no neutron or gamma rays accompanied by other isotopes. The penetration of "nickel-63" is also weak, and a piece of paper can block rays. So there is no such thing as "nuclear leakage and contamination" that everyone is worried about.
At the same time, the design of Betavolt's original diamond semiconductor converter and 3D components has a collection coefficient of up to 98% for the "nickel-63" isotope radiant electrons, and the manufacturing process and sealed housing also further enhance safety. There is no radiation at all from external detection.
Zhang Wei further emphasized that compared with lithium batteries, Betavolt's miniature atomic energy batteries are much safer! Even if they are punctured or shot, they will not catch fire, explode, and will not have external radiation.
Regarding the question of whether there are similar products at home and abroad, and how leading the technology of Betavolt's micro atomic energy battery is, Zhang Wei told Xinzhixun: "At present, there is no similar product in the world, and we are 5-8 years ahead of other competitors. ”
So, why is Betavolt's miniature atomic energy battery able to have such a strong lead?
"The core difficulty lies in diamond power semiconductors, and our company started with diamond power semiconductors. The company's core R&D team brings together 15 PhDs graduated from well-known universities. Zhang Wei explained to Xinzhixun.
The data show that compared with silicon materials, gallium nitride, silicon carbide, etc., the band gap width of diamond semiconductor materials is as high as 5.45 eV, and the biggest advantage is higher carrier mobility (hole: 3800 cm2V-1s-1, electron: 4500 cm 2V-1s-1), higher breakdown electric field (>10 MVcm-1), and greater thermal conductivity (22 WK-1cm-1) The advantages of its intrinsic materials are that it has the highest thermal conductivity and the highest bulk material mobility in nature, which can meet the needs of high power, strong electric field and radiation resistance in the future, and is an ideal material for making power semiconductor devices. However, the high cost and small size of diamond materials are the main obstacles restricting the development of diamond power electronics.
It is worth noting that in August 2022, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce also included ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor material technology represented by diamond and gallium oxide in export controls.
It is understood that Betavolt has solved a series of problems faced by diamond power semiconductors, and has successfully synthesized high-voltage, high-temperature, high-speed, radiation-hardened Schottky diodes based on single crystal diamonds, with a thickness of only 10 microns. And this is the key to Betavolt's miniature nuclear energy battery to convert the decay energy of the radioactive source into electricity.
Zhang Wei also pointed out in the official press release, "The core of the betavolt atomic battery is the fourth-generation diamond semiconductor, which is the industry's well-known semiconductor ultimate material, and another highland in the global semiconductor field science and technology competition." Betavolt is currently the only company in the world that can dope to make large-size diamond semiconductor materials, and high-efficiency diamond converters are the key to manufacturing nuclear batteries. Betavolt is not only a new energy company, but also a fourth-generation semiconductor and ultra-long carbon nanotube new materials company. Nuclear batteries, diamond semiconductors and supercapacitors, the three major technologies and materials are linked and integrated, forming the core technology and innovation capabilities of Beta Volt. ”
According to reports, at present, Betavolt has registered patents related to the "micro atomic energy battery" in Beijing, and will begin to register global PCT patents. In the 2023 Innovation Competition held by China National Nuclear Corporation, Betavolt, as one of the very few external participating companies, stood out among hundreds of enterprises and research institutions and won the third prize of the competition, representing the recognition of Betavolt's atomic battery technology and products by China's authoritative nuclear technology enterprises.
Wearables and smartphone innovation are ushering in new opportunities
As we all know, the innovation of mobile devices and wearables such as smartphones has entered a bottleneck period, and one of the key constraints is battery life, because many of the functional and performance designs of such devices need to compromise on battery life.
For example, mobile processors that determine the performance of mobile phones/wearables first need to consider power consumption, which also restricts the further improvement of chip performance, so chip manufacturers have to use more advanced and expensive semiconductor processes to improve performance and control power consumption, which also makes processors a key factor that continues to push up the cost of various devices. It can be said that these performance, battery life, and cost constraints have seriously hindered the further innovation of smartphones and wearable devices. However, if these types of nuclear batteries can be used in such devices, many of these problems will be solved and new opportunities will be opened up for innovation in these devices.
At present, the first miniature atomic energy battery BV100 launched by Beta Volt has a power of only 100 microwatts, which can only meet the operation of some extremely low-power devices. Therefore, it is mainly for applications such as pacemakers, cochlear implants, hearing aids, and invasive brain-computer interfaces.
However, according to Zhang Wei, Beta Volt will launch a 1-watt atomic energy battery next year, which can already power many wearable devices, such as TWS earphones, smart bracelets/watches, and even smartphones.
According to a battery life test of 20 smartphones by Zhongguancun Online a few years ago, these test phones inserted SIM cards and connected to the 4G LTE network under the condition of 100% power, turned on the WiFi network, turned off Bluetooth, GPS, Do Not Disturb mode, alarm clock and other functions, and retained WeChat, phone, camera, Clash Royale, Weibo, a total of 5 APPs reside in the background and keep the screen off, its average standby power consumption is 59.15 milliwatts.
Of course, the power consumption of smartphones is about 10 watts under high loads, and it is not enough to be powered by a micro atomic battery with a power of 1 watt. However, as long as the size of the atomic battery and the battery space inside the mobile phone allow, it can be designed to run on two batteries. One atomic battery is used for standby power, the other is used for high-load applications, and the standby battery is capable of charging the conventional battery, allowing the smartphone to last forever without charging (at least for the entire life of the smartphone).
In addition, now consumers for a smart phone service life is generally two or three years, although in the past two years, with the slowdown of smart phone innovation, the user's replacement cycle has been extended, for a smart phone use is about four or five years. So, what is needed is a nuclear battery with higher power, but only a few years of battery life.
It is worth mentioning that Betavolt also said that it has communicated with professional nuclear research institutions and universities in China and plans to continue to research the use of isotopes such as strontium-90, promethium-147 and deuterium to develop higher power and 2-30 years of service life atomic energy batteries. Perhaps in the next few years, we will be able to see atomic batteries that can be used independently in smartphones.
Zhang Wei also clearly said to Xinzhixun: "We can make micro atomic energy batteries for mobile phones, but such a high power requires a radiation safety license, so the civilian will start with a very small power, and other high-power ones are mainly for the non-civilian market." ”
In terms of cost, according to Zhang Wei revealed to Xinzhixun, for different application scenarios, Beta Volt's atomic energy batteries will have models of hundreds of yuan, thousands of yuan, and tens of thousands of yuan in different price points in the future.
Editor: Xinzhixun-Rogue Sword