US-based Kronos Advanced Technologies and China’s Yasheng Group which is incorporated in California, announced a strategic collaboration to develop and file a patent for a small nuclear battery. The will be designed to provide a reliable power source with a lifespan of up to 50 years without requiring recharging. It will utilise advanced materials and an innovative design and will convert the energy from the beta decay of a radioactive isotope, such as Nickel-63, into electrical energy.
Yasheng Group will be responsible for filing the nuclear battery patent in China, while Kronos will handle the filing in North America. Each party will bear the costs associated with filing in their respective countries. Kronos will receive 10% of the royalties earned by Yasheng Group in China, and Yasheng Group will receive 10% of the royalties earned by Kronos in North America.
Kronos said the batteries would be ideal for long-term, maintenance-free power needs in remote sensing, medical devices, space exploration, and military equipment. Their long lifespan, reliability, and safety make them ideal for medical applications where frequent battery replacements are not feasible. The aerospace industry can use these batteries for long-duration space missions and satellite power. “Their ability to function in extreme environments and provide a consistent power supply for up to 50 years without maintenance makes them suitable for both military and civilian aerospace applications.”
They can also be used for remote sensors, MEMS systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices “Their small size and long operational life ensure continuous monitoring and data collection in remote or hard-to-reach locations.” They can also be used to power environmental monitoring devices, industrial sensors, and advanced automation systems.
In the future, consumer electronics such as smartphones, laptops, and small household gadgets could benefit from nickel-63 batteries. “The potential to create devices that never need recharging would revolutionise the consumer electronics market, although this application is still in developmental stages,” Kronos noted.
Citing several market research organisation, Kronos said the market potential for nuclear batteries is projected to grow significantly in the coming years. “This growth is driven by advancements in nuclear technology, the rising adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles, and the demand for long-lasting power sources in various industries, including medical, aerospace, and remote sensing.”
Yasheng Group conducts business operations in US, China, Philippine in four major segments – Agriculture & Fisheries, Biotechnology, Blockchain and Mining. Lead Inventor Shuting Zhang holds multiple patents.
Kronos Advanced Technologies was founded in 2002 and funded by the US military to develop electrostatic air movers. Eventually, the Company moved into the consumer air purification business. The company filed about 50 patent applications in the past and had total of 25 issued patents. Kronos is the first publicly traded company that accepts Dogecoin as a form of payment for its products, as well as other cryptocurrencies.
Several other companies are also developing nuclear batteries. In January 2024, Beijing-based Betavolt New Energy Technology announced that it had developed a 3V nuclear battery that uses radioactive nickel-63 as the energy source and a diamond semiconductor as the energy converter. Betavolt Chairman & CEO Zhang Wei said that the company’s BV100 would be the world’s first mass-produced nuclear battery.
In June, California-based Infinity Power said it had developed a very powerful and long-lasting nuclear battery based on electrochemical energy conversion with support from the US Department of Defense, which demonstrated an overall efficiency of more than 60%.
Russian researchers have also developed betavoltaic batteries. The team includes researchers from the National University of Science & Technology (NUST-MISiS, formerly the Moscow Institute of Steel & Alloys State Technological University), the Institute of Microelectronics Technology & High Purity Materials of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Kurchatov Institute National Research Centre.
