US company develops nuclear battery that can operate continuously for 50 years

Two US companies Kronos Advanced Technologies and Yasheng Group are working together to develop nuclear batteries that can operate continuously for decades without recharging to narrow the gap with China.

A new small nuclear battery called Nickel 63 can operate for up to 50 years without needing to be recharged, which could help address pressing energy storage needs in a variety of areas, including medical devices, remote sensing, space exploration, and the military.

So the joint project between Kronos Advanced Technologies and Yasheng Group aims to compete with Chinese products for market share, providing a domestically produced nuclear battery option in the US.

Nuclear batteries work by converting radioactive isotopes into electrical energy through the process of nuclear fission. The energy derived from nuclear batteries does not rely on a chain reaction like that of nuclear power plants, so they can produce large amounts of energy while minimizing waste due to the decay of radioactive materials. These batteries can last for decades, providing a long-term energy storage solution.

Experts believe that it is possible to create ultra-light, long-lasting, reliable and safe nuclear batteries for many applications, typically in medicine. For example, Nickel-63 batteries can power implantable medical devices such as pacemakers, artificial hearts and cochlear implants.

In addition, nuclear batteries can also be used in the aerospace and defense fields for long-duration space flights and important missions, or in remote sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) devices that require maintenance-free power sources...

The two American companies said their batteries would collect and convert beta particles into electrical energy, use semiconductor materials, have extremely strong radiation-proof casings and advanced thermal management systems. These important features make nuclear batteries safe and worth buying for customers.