Scientists in the UK have created the world’s first diamond battery. They claim to be a safer and more sustainable alternative to lithium ion batteries, with a lifespan of 5,000 years.
They resemble traditional watch batteries but are much thinner and designed to power pacemakers, hearing aids, and other medical devices, as well as satellites, deep space missions, and remote sensors.
Nuclear fusion researchers at the government’s UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) collaborated with the University of Bristol to create long-lasting batteries out of lab-grown diamonds and an ultra-thin slice of radioactive material known as carbon-14. The diamond’s semiconductor capabilities transform radioactivity into electricity, while its hardness prevents it from leaving.