Chinese company develops battery that lasts 50 years, but there is a catch

Many experts assume that all it takes is a very good battery and that many of our energy problems would be solved. Now the Chinese company Betavolt New Energy Technology has presented a smaller revolution in this field.

The company promises that the 3-volt BV100 battery will last more than 50 years. The reason for the long lifespan is also the catch: it works through atomic decay and is therefore radioactive. However, Betavolt ensures that the radiation does not escape, making the battery completely safe.

In fact, such nuclear batteries are already used in various ways, for example in submarines. The revolutionary thing about this new battery is that it is smaller than a coin and could even fit in a smartphone. It could also be used in the medical field, for example in pacemakers.

Atomic nuclei are made up of protons and neutrons. While the number of protons for the elements always remains the same – for example, a nickel atom always consists of 28 protons – the number of neutrons can vary without being a new element. Such atoms with different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. For example, a nickel atomic nucleus can contain 61, 62 or more neutrons.

Such isotopes become more unstable and decay when there is a preponderance of neutrons. In this way, one atom creates two new atoms and energy is released. This is converted into electricity via a semiconductor and made usable. Betavolt uses nickel-63 isotopes for BV100. The half-life of this isotope is more than 100 years and decays to stable copper.

The company wants to start series production of the 3-volt version this year. A 1-volt version is expected to follow in 2025. (lion)