Batteries from Diamond Encapsulated Nuclear Waste

[HalGameGuru]

Via: https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/28/diamonds-convert-nuclear-waste-into-batteries/

Source: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/november/diamond-power.html

 

University of Bristol has a proof of concept for generating electrical charge by encapsulating specific nuclear materials in synthetic diamonds, as the diamond blocks and absorbs the radiation is produces electricity. Offering low voltage solutions that could last millenia.

 

Quote

Professor Scott added: “We envision these batteries to be used in situations where it is not feasible to charge or replace conventional batteries. Obvious applications would be in low-power electrical devices where long life of the energy source is needed, such as pacemakers, satellites, high-altitude drones or even spacecraft.

 

“There are so many possible uses that we’re asking the public to come up with suggestions of how they would utilise this technology by using #diamondbattery.

 

Obvious hurdles are cost and manufacturing, which would hopefully be assuaged with time and iterative improvements. But, this could also open the doors for other nuclear waste to be used in similar manners. While there was no release on voltage or amperage of the power produced we can probably assume it is under a volt, and likely in the milliamps, if that much, but the longevity would provide a lot of value for those situations where access is limited or dangerous to maintain a power system.

 

Quote

Despite their low-power, relative to current battery technologies, the life-time of these diamond batteries could revolutionise the powering of devices over long timescales.  Using carbon-14 the battery would take 5,730 years to reach 50 per cent power, which is about as long as human civilization has existed.

 

Video in the Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

[shermantanker]

Cool now I can have a nuclear meltdown in my pocket. 

 

On on a more serious note this is a very interesting idea, but I wonder how well the diamond could hold up.

[Tech_Dreamer]

imagine this on a large scale as in mobile phone batteries, probably you die before phone battery needs a replacement,

 

Edit: wonder if this thing can be implemented on wrist watches, would be cool

[Castdeath97]

4 minutes ago, Tech_Dreamer said:

imagine this on a large scale as in mobile phone batteries, probably you die before phone battery needs a replacement,

 

Edit: wonder if this thing can be implemented on wrist watches, would be cool

Probably not, looks like something that would power very simple and miniscule devices. 

[Curufinwe_wins]

49 minutes ago, HalGameGuru said:

snip

The band gap for diamond is over 5eV so the voltage will likely be at least 5V. Which is probably why it is of interest in the first place.

 

I can lead a discussion into RTGs and the whole thermophotovoltaic process if anyone is super interested, but yes the current will be EXTREMELY low.

[zMeul]

57 minutes ago, HalGameGuru said:

as pacemakers

yes, by all means put nuclear waste near some old dude's hearth

he's gonna die anyways, so why not?!

[Curufinwe_wins]

9 minutes ago, zMeul said:

yes, by all means put nuclear waste near some old dude's hearth

he's gonna die anyways, so why not?!

You say that, but before the development of Lithium ion batteries, nuclear batteries were actually one of the BEST choices for patient health and longevity. Now the power constraints aren't so high (the power to run a pacemaker has dropped two orders of magnitude in the last 30 years), and the downsides of the particular nuclear batteries used are still the same so they are not made new, but there are still a decent number in use world wide.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1502062/#R1

 

This isn't even comparable to that process though.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Quote

In fact, diamond is the hardest substance known to man, there is literally nothing we could use that could offer more protection.

I take issue with that because I searched on YouTube for "shattering diamonds" and apparently you can shatter one with a well placed blow using an ordinary hammer.

 

The other part I'm skeptical about is how much current this will provide.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Just now, M.Yurizaki said:

I take issue with that because I searched on YouTube for "shattering diamonds" and apparently you can shatter one with a well placed blow using an ordinary hammer.

 

The other part I'm skeptical about is how much current this will provide.

Diamonds cleave technically (and rather easily in fact, their toughness is only around 2MPa, even when their tensile strength is well over 60-200 GPa). 

 

 

[suicidalfranco]

then comes samsung and the mass moves from C4 to nukes

[PocketNerd]

Hard to come up with use-cases if we don't know what the output of one of these batteries is. Also, wouldn't output increase with a larger version of these diamond?

[elkenrod]

Nobody is asking any of the important questions........

 

 

 

 

 

like how many Rads/Sec will they produce

 

[HalGameGuru]

1 hour ago, zMeul said:

yes, by all means put nuclear waste near some old dude's hearth

he's gonna die anyways, so why not?!

When was the last battery that was safe for the human body? Aside from potatoes what power sources are safe to have floating around in the human body? Even Li-Ion aren't safe. This kind of radiation in such a diamond carapace is safer than most anything else we could use. On top of not having to cut back into people to replace them.

[VerticalDiscussions]

 

+

 

=

 

 

Unless its man made diamonds that is and the nuclear waste is, well, worthless waste lol?

 

 

[Brian McKee]

47 minutes ago, elkenrod said:

Nobody is asking any of the important questions........

 

 

 

 

 

like how many Rads/Sec will they produce

 

Like most other consumer nuclear products, the actual radiation emitted from them are likely negligible, or would be upon any sort of public release.

[Curufinwe_wins]

The American Nuclear Society is currently advising healthy skepticism at this release at the moment. Apparently none of us have been able to get more detailed math/calculations on the report, but current efficiencies being estimated are around .00076 mW/g which for almost anything isn't useful (although it actually could be for the aforementioned pacemaker use which only needs to provide 25 uW).

[Zodiark1593]

Throw in a Capacitor or three, and you'll have the TV remote that never dies. Cmos battery as well? 

[ionbasa]

How about smoke detectors / carbon monoxide detectors that last forever? No more annoying beeps when the 9v battery dies. 

 

Side Note: Actually doesn't affect me, I have hardwired detectors 

[Wolther]

9 minutes ago, ionbasa said:

How about smoke detectors / carbon monoxide detectors that last forever? No more annoying beeps when the 9v battery dies. 

 

Side Note: Actually doesn't affect me, I have hardwired detectors 

I remember how my friends used to always have to tell me to shut my smoke detector up because they'd constantly hear beeping in skype calls.. Meanwhile I just became so used to it I just didn't hear it anymore 

[ionbasa]

35 minutes ago, Wolther said:

I remember how my friends used to always have to tell me to shut my smoke detector up because they'd constantly hear beeping in skype calls.. Meanwhile I just became so used to it I just didn't hear it anymore 

They get pretty annoying. The nice detectors now come with Lithium type batteries that last 10 years. Not a bad deal, since you wont be replacing batteries every year.

[goodtofufriday]

5 hours ago, VerticalDiscussions said:

 

+

 

=

 

 

Unless its man made diamonds that is and the nuclear waste is, well, worthless waste lol?

 

 

Post says synthetic diamonds, soo

[Prysin]

9 hours ago, HalGameGuru said:

When was the last battery that was safe for the human body? Aside from potatoes what power sources are safe to have floating around in the human body? Even Li-Ion aren't safe. This kind of radiation in such a diamond carapace is safer than most anything else we could use. On top of not having to cut back into people to replace them.

potatoes only generate power when raw. Raw potatoes can carry different forms of acides and toxins from the ground that can harm you. This is part why we boil potatos.

[iamdarkyoshi]

11 hours ago, shermantanker said:

Cool now I can have a nuclear meltdown in my pocket. 

 

On on a more serious note this is a very interesting idea, but I wonder how well the diamond could hold up.

On a more serious note

 

Note

 

7

 

I see what you did there

[vorticalbox]

15 hours ago, shermantanker said:

Cool now I can have a nuclear meltdown in my pocket. 

 

On on a more serious note this is a very interesting idea, but I wonder how well the diamond could hold up.

 

Probably not the diamond keeps them from leaking any radiation and it has a half-life of 5730 years. meaning it will take almost 6K years before the battery hits 50% left. They failed to mention just how much of a current they produce but I would assume it isn't much.

[Misanthrope]

11 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

The American Nuclear Society is currently advising healthy skepticism at this release at the moment. Apparently none of us have been able to get more detailed math/calculations on the report, but current efficiencies being estimated are around .00076 mW/g which for almost anything isn't useful (although it actually could be for the aforementioned pacemaker use which only needs to provide 25 uW).

This.

 

Alternatively if you want more kek, wait for Thunderf00t to debunk it.