World’s first carbon-14 diamond battery

Researchers in the UK have developed a radioactive diamond battery that could last for thousands of years using carbon-14.

The carbon-14 diamond battery is the world’s first, says the team at the University of Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Carbon-14 is a radioactive version of carbon-12, and uses the decay to produce a small current. Other radioactive materials can be used for batteries with a long lifetime, such as one showed by researchers in China earlier this year, and the The researchers at Bristol have been working on this carbon-14 technology since 2016.

A micropower bio-compatible diamond battery could be used in medical devices like ocular implants, hearing aids, and pacemakers, minimising the need for replacements and distress to patients.

Diamond batteries could also be used in extreme environments – both in space and on earth – where it is not practical to replace conventional batteries. The batteries could power active radio frequency (RF) tags where there is a need to identify and track devices either on earth or in space, such as spacecraft or payloads, for decades at a time, thus reducing costs and extending operational lifespan.

“Our micropower technology can support a whole range of important applications from space technologies and security devices through to medical implants. We’re excited to be able to explore all of these possibilities, working with partners in industry and research, over the next few years,” said Professor Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at the University of Bristol

“Diamond batteries offer a safe, sustainable way to provide continuous microwatt levels of power. They are an emerging technology that use a manufactured diamond to safely encase small amounts of carbon-14,” said Sarah Clark, Director of Tritium Fuel Cycle at UKAEA.

A team of scientists and engineers from both organisations worked together to build a plasma deposition rig, a specialised apparatus used for growing the radioactive diamond at UKAEA’s Culham Campus.