Discovery of New Nuclear Batteries

What comes to mind when you hear the word “nuclear?” Most likely you are reminded of the nuclear disasters at Fukushima and Chernobyl. However, these disasters are highly unlikely. In recent years, the designs have been updated and the possibility of human error is substantially reduced. One hazardous byproduct of these power plants, however, is the waste that they produce. 

One way to sustainably dispose of said waste is to create what is known as a nuclear battery, some of which were created quite recently. Curious about the prospect and potential of these batteries, I decided to interview Steven Tucker, who worked in a nuclear submarine for the Navy for eight years and has now been working at Puget Sound Energy for 11 years. 

Nuclear power plants produce roughly 20 percent of U.S. energy. “One downside,” said Tucker, “is the depleted energy, uranium.” Though there is little environmental harm in burying nuclear waste, it is very costly. Tucker emphasized that funding for waste disposal is an “ongoing issue." Imagine the potential of the costs that will be saved if we no longer need to store it, but use it for our needs, from powering a deep space satellite to powering a medical device. These batteries have so much potential if they could be developed further. Let us look at how these batteries function. 

First off, scientists at Ohio State University built a prototype, specifically a nuclear photovoltaic battery. Using scintillator crystals, which exude light when absorbing nuclear waste, the scientists converted the light into electricity. They tested this battery using cesium-137 and cobalt-60, both of which are radioactive isotopes. “Their results showed that when cesium-137 was used, the battery generated 288 nanowatts. Yet with the much stronger isotope cobalt-60, the battery produced 1.5 microwatts of power,” according to Ohio State. Though cobalt-60 was only enough to switch on a sensor, according to Tucker, “There will most likely be major advances in the coming [few years] if there is a lot of money and attention. On the other hand, if it’s just scientists working on it, it may take 50 years.”

Secondly, UK scientists state that they have created the first diamond battery using radioactive decay. The battery is known as the carbon-14 diamond battery. Such batteries will be useful in terms of longevity in extreme conditions in which replacing batteries won’t be easy (e.g., medical devices and space exploration). Their battery functions by using… you guessed it, carbon-14. Carbon-14 is found in graphite blocks in nuclear reactors. However, graphite blocks are costly to dispose of, not to mention dangerous to human health. Thus, the scientists placed the carbon-14 into the core of synthetically made diamonds in order to create an electric current. Impressively, this battery can last about 5,700 years! Though the electric current may seem minuscule, it is a step towards making use of said radioactive waste. Along with these batteries, others being developed include nickel-63, created by a China-based company known as Betavolt. 

As technology continues to advance, we must acknowledge these remarkable discoveries and, as Tucker stated, educate others in order to change how many view the word “nuclear.”