China’s Betavolt unveils coin-sized nuclear battery that lasts 50 years

Beijing-based Betavolt New Energy Technology has unveiled the BV100, a battery smaller than a coin that the company says can generate steady electricity for 50 years without ever needing to be charged or replaced, according to World Nuclear News, the industry publication run by the World Nuclear Association.

The BV100 works by harnessing the natural decay of a radioactive isotope rather than storing chemical energy the way conventional batteries do. It combines nickel-63 nuclear isotope decay with what Betavolt describes as China’s first diamond semiconductor module, placing a two-micron-thick sheet of nickel-63 between two ultra-thin diamond semiconductor converters. As the nickel-63 decays, it releases fast-moving electrons, which the diamond layers capture and channel into usable electric current.

The device measures just 15 by 15 by 5 millimetres and generates 100 microwatts of power at 3 volts — far too little to charge a smartphone, but well suited to low-power applications such as medical implants, environmental sensors and small tracking devices that need a constant, reliable power source over long periods without maintenance.

Betavolt has said its batteries are modular, meaning multiple units can be combined to scale up total power output, and the company has stated plans to release higher-powered versions using different isotopes in the future.