Scientists and engineers from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the University of Bristol have created what they say is the world’s first carbon-14 diamond battery, which has the potential to power devices for thousands of years.
The carbon-14 diamond battery works by using the radioactive decay of carbon-14, which has a half-life of 5,700 years, to generate low levels of power. It functions similarly to solar panels, which convert light into electricity. However, instead of using light particles (photons), they capture fast-moving electrons from within the diamond structure.
A team of scientists and engineers from both organisations worked together to build a plasma deposition rig, a specialised apparatus used for growing the diamond at UKAEA’s Culham Campus.
Possible applications include bio-compatible diamond batteries for use in medical devices such as 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. They 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, reducing costs and extending operational lifespan.
“Diamond batteries offer a safe, sustainable way to provide continuous microwatt levels of power,” said Sarah Clark, Director of Tritium Fuel Cycle at UKAEA. “They are an emerging technology that use a manufactured diamond to safely encase small amounts of carbon-14,”
Professor Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at the University of Bristol, said: “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.”
This work was part of the ASPIRE project: Advanced Self-Powered sensor units in Intense Radiation Environments led by Professor Scott who is also Director of the South West Nuclear Hub.
In 2020, the University of Bristol said it hoped to recycle radioactive material directly from a former NPP in Gloucestershire to generate material for the batteries. Work is under way at the Berkeley Power Station in to remove radioactive waste products from the site as part of its decommissioning programme. By extracting Carbon-14 isotopes from the irradiated graphite used in the Magnox reactor, the time and cost of the clean-up operation would be significantly reduced.
A second nuclear station at Oldbury stopped producing electricity in 2012 and the site was completely defueled by 2016. These two sites, as well as the reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset and other decommissioned sites across the UK, hold vast amounts of irradiated graphite that include the Carbon-14 isotope that could be recycled to generate power.
Professor Scott said: “The ultimate aim is to have a factory based at one of the former power stations in the South West that takes Carbon-14 isotopes directly from the graphite blocks for use in diamond batteries. “This would significantly reduce the radioactivity of the remaining material, making it easier and safer to manage.”
