Emerging Technology Trends #3

"The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. "

- Bill Gates

Continuing the series "Emerging Technology Trends" , we have come up with some information on another new technology which can change the world. So let's take a look what it is.

NANO-DIAMOND BATTERY

Can you imagine a smartphone with life-long battery and does not require recharging or an electric car with similar features? Well the dream has come true. According to reports, a California-based company named "NDB" has made the revolutionary battery known as "Nano-Diamond Battery" . Company claims that this Nano-diamond battery can last upto 28,000 years without ever needing a charge and its the biggest solution for all electronic devices which require recharging batteries. Do you know what's the main ingredient for making this nano-diamond battery? It's nothing but "radioactive nuclear waste" . Yes you heard it right!! 

As we all know radioactive waste contains radioactive nuclear materials which is produced as a by-product from various nuclear technology processes and is deemed to have no further use. Every radionuclide has a long half-life (time taken for the half of its atoms to decay and thus for it lose half of its radioactivity). Nuclear power plants produce massive quantities of leftover nuclear waste which is extremely toxic, lasts for thousand years and poses a challenge when it comes to nuclear waste disposal. The radiation produced by this nuclear waste is hazardous for both human and environment. As per the Government policies, current method for controlling this waste is geological disposal (buried underground at deeper levels). This is where this new technology known as Nano-Diamond battery will play a crucial role in minimizing the nuclear waste thus becoming an environment savior as these batteries are made of radioactive nuclear waste.

BASIC PRINCIPLE OF NANO-DIAMOND BATTERY

Company claims that to achieve this, radioactive waste named graphite is used. Graphite which is rich in carbon-14 radioisotope is produced from the nuclear reactors that have absorbed radiation from nuclear fuel rods (controls the nuclear reaction) and have themselves become radioactive. This material is considered to be high grade nuclear waste which is dangerous, difficult and expensive to store. The basic principle is simple. The carbon-14 radioisotope is extracted into pure form and then it is converted into tiny diamonds known as carbon-14 diamonds which emits a charge. These are then shielded with multiple protective layers of diamond which is one of the hardest material on Earth. Carbon-14 emits radiation which can be quickly absorbed by any solid material. Thus the radiation or energy produced by this isotope is absorbed by the shielded diamond which generates electricity. The excess charge produced will be stored in secondary charge storage that can be capacitors, super-capacitors or secondary cells. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years so imagine the battery life. If battery is built in 2020, then it can run on full power until the year 7750. That's VERY HUGE!!!!

CLAIMS MADE BY NDB COMPANY

NDB's chief strategy officer Neel Naicker says, "Think of it in an iPhone. With the same size battery, it would charge your battery from zero to full, five times an hour. Imagine that. Imagine a world where you wouldn't have to charge your battery at all for the day. Now imagine for the week, for the month… How about for decades? That's what we're able to do with this technology." 

Followed by this NDB's chief operating officer Mohammed Irfan explained: "Using radioisotopes as a source for energy is not new. We have nuclear medicine, where patients are treated with controlled equipment, which has always given effective results. Similarly, we have had nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. Of course, that's a completely different process, but it's been able to successfully and safely deliver power and energy without safety issues."

There are many advantages of this Nano-Diamond battery with respect to the current lithium-ion batteries. Some of them reported by the company are:

• Radiation emitted by this battery will be less than radiation produced by our human body.
• This battery can conform to any shape and size.
• Offers higher power density than lithium-ion batteries.
• Hard protective and tamper-proof layer prevents radiation leaks.
• No need of charging, long-life battery as it is self-charging.
• Environment friendly.
• No refueling stations required for electric vehicles.
• Battery will cost less than lithium-ion battery.

Checkout the company's website by clicking here: NDB .

  

Company has also posted a video on YouTube explaining about this battery. So checkout the video by clicking here:  Nano Diamond Battery Explainer Video - NDB .

So let's wait for this greatest technology to come true. NDB company has not yet produced the prototypes. They said that the design and manufacturing will start after this pandemic as quarantine eases. The reports suggests that company has got proof of concepts to produce these batteries and is considering as the ultimate solution for unlimited applications which includes smartphones, cars, spacecrafts,  medical devices like pacemakers and can also be used as a power source for remote locations. There is no doubt that this green battery invention will definitely create a huge impact on whole world.   

Thank You.