Chinese scientists have unveiled an innovative nuclear battery that could revolutionize the power supply of autonomous systems, with a lifespan estimated at thousands of years, opening up prospects for long-term projects.
This battery was developed through a collaboration between researchers from Northwest Normal University and experts from Gansu Zhulong Technology, and is based on the carbon-14 isotope and a converter made of silicon carbide (SiC).
Nuclear batteries, or radioisotope batteries, generate electricity by harnessing the energy released from the decay of a radioactive isotope. Thanks to the long half-lives of the isotopes used, these batteries can operate for decades, or even centuries, giving them a significant advantage over conventional chemical batteries. Similar batteries have already been used in space missions, including the Voyager probes, the Curiosity rover, and the Chinese lunar probes Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4.
The “Qianjiyuan Tianshu” model is an extension of the team’s previous design “Zhulong-1” (Wax Dragon-1), which was developed in 2024. With a radioactive material content of no more than 22%, the battery capacity increased by 2.6 times while maintaining voltage and stability.
The battery is slightly larger than one cubic inch (16.8 cubic centimeters), has a radioactivity of 129 millicuries of carbon-14, and produces an electric current of 0.713 microamps, a voltage of 2.06 volts, and a maximum power of 1.13 microwatts.
"Previous batteries suffered from low capacity, poor integration, and high cost, so the team focused on developing a small, high-efficiency, low-cost battery that is entirely manufactured locally," said team leader Sue Maogen from Northwest Normal University.
He explained that the operating principle of this battery differs from that of conventional nuclear batteries; instead of converting heat into electricity, it relies on the direct impact of beta particles on a semiconductor made of silicon carbide. This principle is very similar to the mechanism of solar panels, except that the energy source here is nuclear radiation, which has allowed for an increase in volumetric energy density by approximately 15 times.
Carbon-14 has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years, so the battery's operational lifespan is estimated to be thousands of years. Thanks to its small size, autonomy, and long lifespan, this battery is a promising candidate for use in space applications, medical implants, and remote sensing devices, aligning with the strategy of developing small, high-performance nuclear batteries for industrial applications.
