The generation of electricity using nuclear power is quite controversial. We all have the Chernobyl accident in mind, but the truth is that such extremely serious incidents are a minority. A nuclear power plant has hundreds of security and control measures to avoid these disasters again.
A nuclear battery in our pocket?
You may not know it, but in this type of power plant, control graphite rods. Without going into more technical and complex aspects, these bars avoid possible disasters that end up causing explosions. The problem is that when these bars are “depleted”, it is one more residue that is very difficult to deal with.
Apparently a Californian company has thought of a way to take advantage of them and make them useful. They have devised a kind of carbon 14 diamonds that could generate electricity for about 28,000 years. Come on, that laptops, electric vehicles and others, would never have to be recharged again. Additionally, it could solve a large part of the current energy problems, which would be a great relief with the high price of electricity.
The company responsible for this is called NDB (which stands for Nano Diamond Battery). This company proposes a battery that is quite practical and also quite ecological, and it is based on taking advantage of unused nuclear waste. Specifically, they convert graphite bars in carbon 14 diamonds. The interesting thing about these “diamonds” is that act as a semiconductor and have great heat dissipation capacity.
One thinks that carrying something radioactive in your pocket is not the best idea, and it is true, but there would be no risks. These “diamonds” covered with a layer of carbon-12 diamond fairly cheap and not radioactive. These carbon-12 diamonds are manufactured in the laboratory and include energetic particles and generate a safe protection layer that prevents radiation leakage.
With this material a battery cell is developed, where different layers of these nano-diamonds are stacked and stored. They are joined by an integrated circuit board and a large capacitor, which collects, stores and distributes energy.
Goodbye to the electricity bill
Although it is still very green, more than one will have felt a tingle when thinking about the possibilities. We could say to the electricity bill, ceasing to depend on electricity companies that manipulate prices. Using these batteries we could light the house, have heating and whatever we want, without additional costs.
This in turn is great for computing, autonomous vehicles, satellites, smartphones, etc. We will no longer need to recharge these devices forever, since it can generate electricity for 28,000 years. In addition, all kinds of sizes could be generated, from AA batteries to different formats of commercial batteries.
But, being realistic, it seems that something like this could end up being marketed. Not because of the risks that it may entail or how complex the manufacturing process may be, but because of what it implies. It would mean that the current battery industry is over, goodbye to energy companies, we depend on planned obsolescence and countless technological and environmental problems.
