Chinese researchers have built the country's first nuclear battery using carbon-14, a rare isotope of carbon, which can run 100 years or even more.
Researchers at the Northwest Normal University in Gansu, China , have created the first nuclear battery made out of radioactive carbon that can last 100 years. The battery can be used to power devices in remote locations from deep sea to outer space, a media report said.
As the world looks to transition to cleaner energy sources, scientists have been working on innovative solutions that meet our energy requirements without warming the planet. While wind and solar energy have reached commercial success, energy generation is intermittent and dependent on an external source, making it unreliable in remote locations. On the other hand, a nuclear battery uses the radioactive nature of isotopes to generate electricity. Since the half-life of the radioactive material usually extends to hundreds of years, nuclear batteries can be a reliable source of energy over longer periods of time. Scientists at the Northwest Normal University have built China’s first such nuclear battery using carbon-14, a widely used but equally rare isotope of carbon, popularly known as radiocarbon. Radiocarbon batteryCarbon exists in three isotopes in nature. Carbon-12 is the most abundant isotope, accounting for 99.8 percent of all carbon found on the planet. Carbon-13 makes up around one percent of carbon, while carbon-14 is so rare that it occurs only once in a billion carbon atoms. The radioactive decay of carbon-14 is weak and has a half-life of 5,730 years. The researchers built a nuclear clock using a compound semiconductor made from silicon and carbon, which generated a power output of 433 nanowatts. The team has run an LED lamp powered by this battery for over four months, emitting more than 35,000 pulses. The researchers are confident that the battery could permanently power implantable devices like pacemakers or brain-computer interfaces. However, battery performance is retained even under extreme temperatures of minus 148 Fahrenheit to 392 Fahrenheit . The researchers suggest deploying power devices in remote locations and outer space. More than a batteryAt the outset, China may have made history by making its first nuclear battery. However, this is not just a milestone for what it can achieve in medicine or space research in the future. Instead, it signals a tectonic shift in China’s capabilities at a deeper level. China began mass production of carbon-14 isotope at a nuclear facility, which could help it make nuclear batteries on a large scale. Image credit: Jian Fan/iStockThe researchers sourced carbon-14 to make this clock from Beita Pharmatech, a China-based company that develops compounds related to carbon-14. Before this, China relied on imports from Canada, South Africa, Russia, and Australia for its carbon-14 but is now building inland capacity to source this rare isotope. Last year, the Asian country began mass production of carbon-14 in a commercial nuclear reactor in Zhejiang, the South China Morning Post said in its report. Researchers at Northwest Normal University are also planning to develop automated carbon-13 isotope detection equipment along with electromagnetic separators that will aid in establishing a system for the industrial production of carbon-14. Much like in other fields, China isn’t just trying to reach a certain milestone with new technology but is also looking to learn more about the ecosystem that fuels it. Slowly and surely, it aims for a leadership role in research and development to assert its dominance.
Carbon-14 China Inventions And Machines Isotope Nuclear Battery Radiocarbon Radioisotope Battery
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
![S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 insights: Uncovering Elliott Wave trends [Video]](https://i.headtopics.com/images/2025/2/28/fxstreetnews/s-p-500-and-nasdaq-100-insights-uncovering-elliott-s-p-500-and-nasdaq-100-insights-uncovering-elliott-1214B875FC54168CB7C228065DABD6A6.webp?w=640)
S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 insights: Uncovering Elliott Wave trends [Video]Elliott Wave Analysis: S&P 500, NASDAQ 100, DAX 40, FTSE 100, ASX 200.
Read more »
100+ roosters, nearly 100 hens rescued from Sheffield Twp. cockfighting ringOver 100 roosters and nearly 100 hens were rescued from a cockfighting ring in Sheffield Township Friday, according to the Friendship Animal Protective League (FAPL).
Read more »
100 years, 100 moments: How women shaped a century of musicFor Women's History Month, World Cafe is exploring 100 years of music history with a timeline of 100 moments.
Read more »
100 years, 100 moments: How women shaped a century of musicFor Women's History Month, World Cafe is exploring 100 years of music history with a timeline of 100 moments.
Read more »
![Elliott Wave analysis: S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, DAX 40, FTSE 100 and ASX200 [Video]](https://i.headtopics.com/images/2025/3/6/fxstreetnews/elliott-wave-analysis-s-p-500-nasdaq-100-dax-40-ft-elliott-wave-analysis-s-p-500-nasdaq-100-dax-40-ft-97C835073E02735615331A084139A391.webp?w=640)
Elliott Wave analysis: S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, DAX 40, FTSE 100 and ASX200 [Video]SP500 and Nasdaq 100 are in the final stages of completing and Elliott Wave Expanding Flat correction.
Read more »
Billboard’s Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century Chart, Nos. 100-81Reinforcing the amount of star power ahead, five women combine to begin the countdown. The made-on-TV group, formed in 2005 on the MTV reality competition series Making the Band, scored back-to-back No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 with its first two releases: 2006’s self-titled set and 2008’s Welcome to the Dollhouse.
Read more »