The University of Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Agency have presented the world’s first diamond energy source capable of running for thousands of years without being recharged. Inside is an isotope of carbon-14 enclosed in a man-made diamond: the diamond both isolates the radioactive material and converts its radiation into electricity.
The battery uses the betavoltaic effect—an analogue of a solar panel, but with beta particles instead of light. The unit is fully sealed and presented as safe.
Such batteries are intended to power low-power devices, especially in situations where access to an external power source is impossible: pacemakers, satellites, sensors on the seabed, or in space. The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,700 years, which is described as effectively “endless.” With this solution, a pacemaker could outlast its owner, while a sensor on Mars could last across the history of humankind.
