China has built the world's first civilian nuclear battery, which can be used continuously for 50 years, and charging may become a thing of the past

The miniature battery is here, and this time it is made in China.

The advantage of nuclear power is very obvious, that is, it is sustainable, for example, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which can sail continuously at sea for more than ten or twenty years, and do not need to refuel frequently, but in the past, nuclear energy was used in some specific fields.

For example, in the 60s of the last century, the United States and the Soviet Union were the first to use nuclear batteries in the field of aerospace, the principle of which was to first use nuclear radiation to heat up, and then use the temperature difference to generate electricity. However, these nuclear batteries are large and costly, so their application scenarios are very limited. Especially if you want to use it for civilian use, it's almost a fantasy.

However, there is also a technical direction for nuclear batteries, in which β particles emitted during the decay of radioactive elements irradiate semiconductors to produce electric current, but this method is less efficient.

Recently, a mainland company called Beta Volt announced that it had developed a miniature atomic energy battery.

To solve the problem of inefficient nuclear cells, Betavolt's research team has developed a high-performance single-crystal diamond semiconductor with a thickness of only 10 microns.

By placing a 2 micron thick nickel-63 sheet between two diamond semiconductor converters, a stable and continuous charge can be generated. In the end, this model BV100 miniature nuclear battery was successfully developed, with a power of 100 microwatts, a voltage of 3 volts, and a volume of 15×15×5 cubic millimeters, which is even smaller than a coin.

In addition to its small size, the biggest feature is that it can achieve stable power generation for 50 years, and there is no need for charging or maintenance. And in terms of safety, there is no need to worry, it does not produce external radiation, does not fire against needle punctures and guns, and does not explode.

At the same time, the power generation of atomic batteries is stable, does not change due to harsh environments and loads, can work normally in the range of minus 120 degrees and minus -60 degrees, and there is no self-discharge.

Due to its many advantages, this nuclear battery will also have a wide range of applications in many fields, such as aerospace, artificial intelligence equipment, medical devices, microelectromechanical systems, sensors, small drones and microrobots, to name a few.

It is even said that in technical theory, if the power can be increased to meet the needs of mobile phones, then mobile phones equipped with nuclear batteries will not need to be charged for life, and small drones will not need to be charged for life. If it can be realized, this will be an epoch-making battery product. At present, Betavolt also said that it is jointly developing with domestic universities to develop higher power batteries using strontium-90, promethium-147 and deuterium isotopes.

Of course, more importantly, this atomic battery has entered the pilot stage and is about to be mass-produced and put into the market. At that time, the BV100 will also be the world's first mass-produced civilian nuclear battery.

In fact, we are talking about being a little more down-to-earth, such a civilian nuclear battery, small in size, safe, and does not need to be replaced for decades, so if it is used in medical equipment such as pacemakers, artificial hearts and cochlea, it will be a huge blessing for human beings around the world.

In short, the process of civilian use of nuclear batteries may be started by Chinese companies, which is an exciting good news, especially in the era of the Internet of Everything, in many mobile electronic devices, it is likely to see his figure, and its social and economic value is immeasurable.