The dream of the nuclear battery of the American technology giant Elon Musk has been blown up all over the world before the concept stage. As everyone knows, the nuclear batteries made by the Chinese themselves have quietly come to the front of the stage and "cut off" Musk.
On January 8, 2024, Beijing Betavolt announced that it has successfully developed a miniature atomic energy battery that can generate electricity for 50 years, which is a disruptive innovation that can support long-lasting scenarios in aerospace, AI equipment, medical equipment, MEMS microelectromechanical systems, high-end sensors, small drones, military and police equipment, and other fields.
According to insiders, the company uses nickel 63 nuclear isotope decay technology, combined with China's first and fourth generation diamond semiconductors, to break through the previous aerospace temperature difference nuclear battery large size, high cost, large radiation and other defects, to achieve the miniaturization, modularization, maintenance-free nuclear battery, reduce the cost, will be put into civilian use for the first time in 2024.
According to internal information from Beta Volt, the first product they launched will be nickel 63-BV100, with a power of 100 microwatts and a voltage of 3V, and the battery is generating electricity every minute and second, which can generate 036 joules, 8 per day64 joules per year153 kJ. The company plans to launch a 1-watt battery in 2025 that can keep a phone from being charged, and a small drone that can now only fly for 15 minutes can fly forever.
According to experts, atomic energy batteries are physical batteries, not electrochemical batteries, and have the following characteristics:
1.The energy density is more than 10 times that of ternary lithium batteries
2.Unlike ternary lithium batteries, it is aimed at acupuncture and **no**, no**;
3.It has been self-generating for 50 years, and there is no concept of the number of charge and discharge cycles of electrochemical cells
4.It is not affected by harsh environments, and can work normally in the range of minus 120 to minus -60 degrees, and there is no self-discharge.
5.It is very safe, has no external radiation, and can be used in medical devices such as pacemakers and cochlea in the human body.
6.Green and environmentally friendly, after the decay period, the nickel 63 isotope becomes a stable isotope of copper, which is not radioactive and does not pose any threat or pollution to the environment. Therefore, nuclear batteries do not require expensive processes.
At present, Betavolt has registered a patent in Beijing and will start registering a global PCT patent, winning the grand prize at the 2023 Innovation Competition held by CNNC. At present, the company is exploring the use of different nuclear isotopes to develop higher power atomic energy batteries.