NDB states that its proof-of-concept battery can outlast lithium-ion batteries and won’t need to ever be recharged since it acts like a self-charging generator. It can last anywhere from 10 to 28,000 years. (Image Credit: NDB)
Wouldn’t it be amazing if batteries could seemingly last forever without a charge? Electronic devices such as smartphones, wearable tech, etc. that require a recharge after a day of constant use could benefit from this. Even EVs could potentially leverage this tech, as long as it’s safe. NDB, a California-based clean energy startup, says its nano-diamond batteries can outlast any type of battery technology in the world. Made from recycled nuclear waste material, NDB believes it can behave like a self-charging battery, generating electrons for a decade to 28,000 years.
The proof-of-concept design underwent some tests at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and reported a 40% charge improvement over the 15% efficiency of diamond. There is a small piece of recycled nuclear waste in the middle of each cell. NDB utilizes graphite nuclear reactor parts that absorbed radiation from nuclear fuel rods, which have become radioactive. Left untreated, the graphite component is extremely dangerous, difficult to store safely, and has a very long half-life.
The graphite contains an abundance of carbon-14 radioisotopes, which goes through beta decay into nitrogen, and in the process, it discharges an anti-neutrino and a beta decay electron.
NDB purifies the graphite and turns it into micro carbon-14 diamonds. The diamond structure functions as a semiconductor and heat sink, gathering the charge and emitting it out. A layer of inexpensive, non-radioactive, lab-produced carbon-12 diamond completely encases the radioactive carbon-14 diamond to contain the nuclear radiation. It also functions as a tamper-proof and extremely-tough protective layer.
Encasing it for safety also requires the material to be controlled so that it can emit a charge, and it needs to be assembled using an anode and cathode. This is to ensure it conducts electricity whenever a voltage is applied.
The battery design, called Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV), contains multiple layers of the nano-diamond material that are stacked up and stored with an integrated circuit board and a supercapacitor. Even though the diamond stores the charge, it utilizes the supercapacitor for high power output and to distribute the energy to power a load connected to the circuit.
This is essentially a tiny mini-power generator that could generate electrons until it’s expended. Theoretically, it could take up to 28,000 years to deplete, and according to NDB, the battery won’t need to be recharged. It also wouldn’t emit any carbon emissions, which makes it a clean source of energy.
NDB is also hoping to use this battery in a wide range of applications, including aircraft, EVs, trains, smartphones, wearable tech, and tiny industrial sensors. The company plans on developing a prototype of the battery once the labs open-up again after the COVID lockdown. A low-power version is expected to land on the market in less than two years, and a high-powered version is expected in five years.
NDB also says they have beta customers, who will be using the prototypes. One of their customers is “a leader in nuclear fuel cycle products and services,” and the other is “a leading global aerospace, defense and security manufacturing company.”
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