Japan And South Korea have recently presented innovative prototypes of “nuclear batteries“. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Jaea) developed the first prototype in the world of Rechargeable Uranium -based batterywhile a team of researchers from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) in South Korea has developed a nuclear battery prototype al carbon-14 which in principle does not need recharge
Nuclear batteries, or more properly atomic energy batteries or batteries in Radioisotopiexploit the electrons produced by the spontaneous decay of radioactive isotopes to produce electric current. These solutions can be of great use of the energy transition because of theirs potentially very high autonomies. The research on atomic energy batteries is very active: last year they made a lot of talk about themselves, for example, the prototypes of Nickel-63 battery developed by Betavolt in China and the First nuclear diamond battery produced in the United Kingdom.
The first japanese rechargeable nuclear battery prototype
The Japanese uranium -based nuclear battery prototype uses a material with chemical-physical properties equivalent to those of thedepleted uraniuma by -product non -fissile (i.e. that does not suffer the nuclear fission process) which derives from the process of enriching natural uranium for the production of nuclear fuel. It is currently classified as escort material a low radioactive loadnot usable as a primary fuel in conventional thermal light water reactors by virtue of its low concentration of physical isotopes. In the battery design proposed by the Jea, the depleted uranium was used as active material for the negative electrode, while the iron for the positive one, generating a voltage of 1.3 V For single cell, very close to that found in a common alkaline battery (1.5 V).
During the various experiments, the battery was subjected to 10 charge and download cyclesat the end of which his performances remained substantially unchangedindicating relatively stable cyclical characteristics. For the Jea, the result suggests that their battery model shows good resistance to degradation, A crucial aspect to guarantee its operational reliability and durability, making it particularly suitable for practical applications that require stable performance And long -term. This technology can represent an innovative solution for the use of nuclear materials as a source of electricity, offering new perspectives for the sustainable management of radioactive waste and for their reuse. Currently, according to the Jea, about about 16,000 tons of impoverished uranium in Japan and approximately 1.6 million globally.
South Korea offers a nuclear battery that must not be recharged
In the field of electricity accumulation devices, Lithium -ion batteriesalthough widely used in cell phones or electric vehicles, present a limited operational autonomywhich requires frequent charge cycles, generally after a few hours or days of use.
The prototype made in South Korea is designed to face this problem and yes based on the principle of Beta Voltaici cellswhich exploit the Decay of radioactive isotopes to generate electricity. This technology is an innovative solution compared to conventional lithium -ion batteries, overcoming their limitations in terms of autonomy and resistance to degradation over time.
The realization of this battery of Basa on the use of the carbon-14 (or Radiocarbon), a radioactive and unstable isotope of carbon, as an active material for both the anode and for the cell cathode.
Carbon-14, in its decay process, emits electronswhich unlike other particles generated by some radioactive isotopes are considered relatively safe since they can be easily shielded with a simple and thin layer of aluminum sheet. To maximize conversion efficiency, the Team of Korean researchers found the use of a semiconductor a Titanium dioxide basea material commonly used in the cells of photovoltaic panels, covered with a dye a Ruttenio base.
In fact, the superficial layer of dye once excited from the beta rays emitted by carbon-14, it triggers one series of reactions electronic transfer, known as “Avalanche of electrons” (Andlectron avalanche). Subsequently, the electron cascade is effectively collected by the underlying layer of titanium dioxide which, acting as a charge manifold, directs the charge carriers towards an external circuit, generating an electric current flow. Carbon-14 presents a halving time very slow, about 5730 years, which implies that the battery theoretically could preserve the 50% of its energy capacity original after almost 6000 years (however not considering the losses due to the degradation of atri materials). This feature makes it a solution particularly innovative For devices that require a long operational duration without the need for charging, such as i pacemakereliminating the need for further surgical interventions to replace the power source.
