在电池世界中，持续时间是国王

无论是坐落在最小的可穿戴设备中还是为电网提供备用功率

In the realm of batteries, duration is king. Whether we're talking about the smallest wearable or a device providing back-up power for the electric grid, a battery that can provide reliable energy for longer will always outlast the competition—figuratively and literally.

在电池领域，持续时间是国王。无论我们谈论的是最小的可穿戴设备还是为电网提供备用功率，可以在图形上和字面上始终超过竞争的可靠能量，这将始终超过竞争。

The U.S. led the way in nuclear battery innovation over the past 70 years—and even developed the first battery that ran on nuclear radiation in the 1950s. But in the 21st century, China has become the undisputed champ of nuclear batteries, which make it possible to power endeavors for decades without needing to recharge. They could provide the backbone for whole industries we haven’t even invented yet, like cybernetics, which could enable a truly intelligent robot, or deep space missions that could fly us to the stars.

在过去的70年中，美国领导了核电池创新的道路，甚至开发了1950年代核辐射的第一个电池。但是在21世纪，中国已成为无可争议的核电池冠军，这使得几十年来无需充电就可以努力努力。他们可以为我们甚至还没有发明的整个行业提供骨干，例如Cyber​​netics，它可以实现真正聪明的机器人或可以将我们带到星星的深空任务。

Earlier this year, the Chinese company Betavolt unveiled a coin-sized nuclear battery named BV100 that uses Nickel-63 as its radioactive source, yielding an estimated 50-year lifespan. But this battery isn’t just a lab innovation—it’s already being mass produced, with the intention to power technologies ranging from medical and aerospace devices to future smartphones.

今年早些时候，这家中国公司Betavolt推出了一种名为BV100的硬币大小的核电池，该电池使用Nickel-63作为放射性来源，估计有50年的寿命。但是，这种电池不仅是实验室的创新，而且已经生产了大量的，目的是为从医疗和航空航天设备到未来的智能手机提供动力技术。

For most of us, better batteries are simply a convenience, but in some cases, battery life that’s more akin to a human lifespan is crucial. We may have no hope of long-term space exploration or life-saving medical interventions without such long-term batteries, which harness energy from a radiation source. Some elements, like uranium, are radioactive, and they have unstable atomic nuclei that spontaneously lose energy. There’s more than one way to capture that energy—in the 1950s and 60s, NASA developed radioisotope thermoelectric generators that transferred the heat from natural radioactive decay into practical energy.

对于我们大多数人来说，更好的电池只是一种便利，但是在某些情况下，电池寿命更像人类的寿命至关重要。如果没有这样的长期电池，我们可能没有希望长期探索或挽救生命的医疗干预措施，这些电池可利用辐射源的能量。一些元素，例如铀，是放射性的，它们具有自发失去能量的不稳定原子核。捕获这种能量的方法不止一种 - 在1950年代和60年代，NASA开发了放射性同位素热电发电机，将热量从天然放射性衰减转移到实用能量中。

But now, a new generation of batteries can trap energy from beta particles, which are electrons or positrons that fly away from their atomic nuclei during radioactive decay. This acts somewhat like photons hitting a solar panel, but in this case, beta radiation is bombarding a specially designed semiconductor, and this is how Betavolt is powering its batteries. Betavoltaic batteries comprise two parts: a radioactive emitter and semiconductor absorber. As the emitter naturally decays, high-speed electrons (aka beta particles) strike the absorber. This creates an “electron-hole” pair, which generates a small-but-stable supply of usable electric current. Since beta particles can be blocked using simply a thin sheet of aluminum, betavoltaic batteries are safe.

但是现在，新一代的电池可以从β颗粒中捕获能量，这些电池是电子或正电子在放射性衰减期间从原子核飞走的电子或原子。这有点像击中太阳能电池板的光子，但是在这种情况下，β辐射正在轰击一个专门设计的半导体，这就是Betavolt在为电池供电的方式。 Betavoltaic电池包括两个部分：放射性发射极和半导体吸收器。随着发射极自然的衰减，高速电子（又称β颗粒）会击中吸收剂。这会产生一个“电子孔”对，可产生可用的电流的小而稳定的供应。由于可以简单地使用一较薄的铝片阻断β颗粒，因此Betavoltaic电池是安全的。

While not producing as much power as NASA’s thermoelectric method, these “betavoltaic batteries” can provide small amounts of reliable power for possibly up to a century—or maybe even longer, depending on the half-life of the material. It may not replace the old, reliable lithium-ion battery that powers most of our gadgets. However, the betavoltaic battery’s long life—coupled with its ability to operate in extreme conditions—makes it perfectly suited for planetary rovers, deep sea sensors, and even pacemakers. Basically, anywhere you desperately want to avoid frequent battery replacement. Nuclear batteries will become even more relevant as the world continues to decarbonize while also becoming increasingly dependent on smart sensors and other internet-connected devices. Several countries are pursuing betavoltaic battery development, including China, the U.S., South Korea, and in Europe.

尽管这些“ betavoltaic电池”的功率不如NASA的热电学方法，但可能会在一个世纪内提供少量可靠的功率，甚至更长的时间，具体取决于材料的半衰期。它可能无法替代为我们大多数小工具提供动力的旧，可靠的锂离子电池。但是，Betavoltaic电池的寿命（结合其在极端条件下运行的能力）非常适合行星漫游者，深海传感器，甚至是起搏器。基本上，您迫切希望避免频繁更换电池的任何地方。随着世界的继续脱碳化，核电池将变得更加相关，同时也越来越依赖于智能传感器和其他与互联网连接的设备。几个国家正在追求包括中国，美国，韩国和欧洲在内的Betavoltaic电池开发。

Betavolt isn’t the only China-based company devising nuclear battery advancements. Just last week, Northwest Normal University in Gansu, China, announced its own carbon-based nuclear battery that can last up to 100 years. Although the basis of this battery, carbon-14, is extremely rare, the South China Morning Post reported that China has a carbon-14 commercial reactor in Zhejiang. Mimicking its photovoltaic playbook for solar energy, China is building the entire supply chain for these devices within its own borders.

Betavolt并不是唯一一家设计核电池进步的公司。就在上周，中国甘努的西北师范大学宣布了自己的碳基核电池，可以持续100年。尽管该电池的基础是碳14，但非常罕见，但《中国南部邮报》报道说，中国在郑安吉有一个碳14商业反应堆。中国模仿了其太阳能的光伏剧本，正在自己的边界内建造这些设备的整个供应链。

While China forges ahead, the rest of the world is racing to catch up. In the U.S., the Miami, Florida-based City Labs is feverishly working on betavoltaic-based microelectronics for space missions. In November 2024, the company received significant funding from the NIH to develop long-lasting betavoltaic batteries for pacemakers (thanks to their low penetration depth, beta particles can be easily shielded from the body). Instead of Nickel-63, City Labs’ battery uses tritium, which will likely provide a 20-year battery life. Following China’s lead, the company also thinks the supply chain in the U.S. could support the batteries’ production. Scalable production of tritium can happen, because national labs and companies are forging a path, Peter Cabauy, chief executive at City Lab, told Chemistry World.

尽管中国锻造了，但世界其他地区都在赶上。在美国，总部位于佛罗里达州的迈阿密城市实验室正在狂热地从事基于BETAVOLTAIC的微电子，用于太空任务。 2024年11月，该公司从NIH获得了大量资金，为起搏器开发了持久的Betavoltaic电池（由于其渗透深度低，可以轻松地将Beta颗粒遮盖在体内）。 City Labs的电池代替了镍63，而是使用Tritium，这可能会提供20年的电池寿命。在中国的领导之后，该公司还认为，美国的供应链可以支持电池的生产。城市实验室首席执行官彼得·卡布伊（Peter Cabauy）告诉化学界，由于国家实验室和公司正在开辟一条道路，因此可能会发生tri骨的可扩展生产。

City Lab actually developed the world’s first successful betavoltaic battery called the “Betacel” back in the 1970s, but the battery’s relatively limited lifespan at the

城市实验室实际上在1970年代开发了世界上第一个称为“ betacel”的世界第一个成功的betavoltaic电池