☢️🔋 Ultra-long-lasting radioactive cells coming soon

Could we be about to enter the post-battery age? We have a trio of ingenious, long-lasting energy solutions today. A Chinese startup created a tiny nuclear cell that converts radioactive decay into electricity that never needs recharging. By packing the radioactive isotope nickel-63 into a coin-sized module, Betavolt claims the first mass-produced atomic power cell will last 50+ years while outpacing lithium alternatives tenfold in energy density with unmatched environmental resilience.

Plus, we also report on how researchers have extracted energy out of soil microbes and waste heat.

Now on the cusp of expanded manufacturing, these technologies promises to provide energy across countless ultra-low energy technologies. Learn more about the radioactive energy solution and its likely applications in today’s Must Read.

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Betavolt leverages proprietary techniques to pioneer the elusive goal of practical nuclear microbatteries, overcoming the tough containment and efficiency demands at scales one-tenth the width of a human hair. The company sees their device powering everything from medical implants to industrial trackers. They also plan larger yet still remarkably compact versions for smartphones and drones by 2025 milestone targets.

Beyond the sheer convenience of not having to replace batteries regularly, their are also benefits for environmental sustainability. While some skepticism remains around this purported world-first, if these diminutive powerhouses are allowed to reach the market, it could be transformative for many gadgets. 

In a world first, Japanese researchers induced delicate temporary unified quantum states within a modified crystalline scaffold at room temperature. By caging special light-sensitive molecules to limit any disruptive spin, the team achieved quantum coherence for 100 nanoseconds — infinitesimal yet still profoundly significant. The advance inches quantum computing closer to use in enhanced encryption and medical imaging basically everywhere.

By harnessing ever-present soil microbes, Northwestern University engineers developed a paperback-book-sized bio-battery for sensors that outpaces lithium cells in output and sustainability. Their microbial setup produced enough excess energy to continuously transmit flood warnings, despite being buried under six feet of soil. The design’s impressive resilience is a new way to generate useful electricity, even in inaccessible locations.

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