Beijing Betavolt New Energy Technology Co Ltd has announced the development of a miniature nuclear battery, the BV100, which they claim can generate power for 50 years. Utilizing nickel-63 isotope decay technology and diamond semiconductors, this battery offers significant advancements in miniaturizing and modularizing atomic energy batteries. The company said the batteries have entered the pilot stage and will be put into mass production on the market.
Beijing Betavolt New Energy Technology Co Ltd, a Chinese company, recently announced they have made a significant breakthrough in battery technology by developing a new type of nuclear battery. Named the BV100, this battery is claimed to have the capacity to generate power continuously for 50 years.
The BV100 utilizes nickel-63, a nuclear isotope, as its primary energy source, and employs decay technology combined with diamond semiconductors. This innovative approach has enabled the company to miniaturize and modularize atomic energy batteries, significantly reducing their cost and size. The BV100 has impressive specifications, including a power output of 100 microwatts and a voltage of three volts, all within a compact size of 15×15×5 cubic millimeters, making it smaller than a coin.
Nuclear or radioactive isotope batteries, also known as atomic energy batteries, function by converting the energy released from the decay of nuclear isotopes into electricity.
Compared to ternary lithium batteries, nuclear batteries have an energy density more than 10 times higher and are exceptionally safe, posing no risk of fire or explosion even under extreme conditions such as puncture or gunshot. They are designed to operate efficiently within a wide temperature range, from -60 to 120 °C (-76 to 248 °F).
Zhang Wei, the CEO of Beijing Betavolt, highlighted that the new type of nuclear battery can achieve consistent power generation for half a century without any need for recharging or maintenance. Additionally, these batteries produce no external radiation. Once mass-produced and introduced to the market, they are expected to fulfill the long-term power supply requirements of various fields including aerospace, artificial intelligence devices, medical equipment, microelectromechanical systems, sensors, small drones, and micro-robots.
Zhang also mentioned the potential future impact of these batteries on consumer electronics. If the power output is optimized, mobile phones equipped with nuclear batteries could operate without the need for recharging, and drones could operate for extended periods without returning for recharging.
Furthermore, the company is collaborating with domestic universities to develop higher-power batteries using other isotopes such as strontium-90, promethium-147, and deuterium.
Atomic energy batteries have been in existence and development for several decades. Early forms of nuclear batteries have been used in various applications, especially where long-lasting, low-power energy sources are needed, such as in pacemakers, spacecraft, and remote sensing stations.
This was a high-tech field that the United States and the Soviet Union focused on in the 1960s. Currently, there are only thermonuclear batteries used in aerospace but they are expensive, large in size and weight, have high internal temperatures, and cannot be used by civilians.
In recent years, miniaturization, modularization and civilian use of nuclear batteries have been the goals and directions pursued by European and American countries. China’s “14th Five-Year Plan and 2035 Vision Goals” also propose that the civilianization of nuclear technology and the multi-purpose development of nuclear isotopes are future development trends.
The significance of the BV100 battery developed by Beijing Betavolt lies in its specific use of nickel-63 as a nuclear isotope and the integration of diamond semiconductors to create a more miniaturized, modular, and potentially cost-effective design, representing an advancement in the field of nuclear battery technology.Betavold says this new energy innovation will help China gain a leading edge in the new round of AI technological revolution.