通过将小硬币大小的核电站榨汁，中国可能刚刚引发了全球竞赛

值得期待的事情：一家中国电池制造商取得了突破，引发了全世界的紧凑型核能。

A Chinese battery manufacturer has developed a breakthrough that may spark a worldwide race for compact nuclear energy.

一家中国电池制造商取得了突破，可能会引发全世界的紧凑型核能竞赛。

The innovation is a small coin-sized battery from Beijing Betavolt New Energy Technology, which is being mass-produced and can provide juice for up to 50 years without needing to be charged or maintained.

该创新是北京贝塔沃尔特新能源技术的小硬币大小的电池，该电池正在大规模生产，可以提供长达50年的果汁，而无需为此充电或维护。

Popular Mechanics reports that the tech is a significant step toward more practical and scalable nuclear power solutions. It also positions Betavolt as a leader in the race to commercialize nuclear batteries, a field in which companies from China, the U.S. and Europe are currently competing.

流行力学报告说，该技术是迈向更实用和可扩展的核电解决方案的重要一步。它还将贝塔沃尔特（Betavolt）定位为将核电站商业化的竞赛中的领导者。

Indeed, Betavolt’s success has already been recognized within China’s scientific community. The company won third prize at the China National Nuclear Corporation’s 2023 Innovation Competition and has registered patents domestically and is preparing global filings under the PCT framework.

确实，Betavolt的成功已经在中国的科学界得到认可。该公司在中国国家核公司2023年的创新竞赛中获得三等奖，并在国内注册了专利，并正在根据PCT框架准备全球申请。

The breakthrough begins last year when Betavolt unveiled the BV100 as the first nuclear battery to integrate China’s fourth-generation diamond semiconductor technology.

突破从去年开始，当时Be​​tavolt推出了BV100作为整合中国第四代钻石半导体技术的第一个核电池。

The BV100 uses energy from the radioactive decay of its nickel-63 core to generate electricity. The two-micron thick core is layered between two 10-micron thick diamond semiconductors, which efficiently convert the isotope’s decay into electricity. Its modular structure allows for scalability, with multiple units being combined in series or parallel to create batteries of varying sizes and capacities.

BV100使用其镍63核心的放射性衰减中的能量来发电。两微米厚的芯层分层在两个10微米厚的钻石半导体之间，这有效地将同位素的衰变转化为电。它的模块化结构允许可扩展性，将多个单元组合成串联或平行，以创建不同尺寸和容量的电池。

Compact yet powerful, the BV100 is about the size of a small coin and delivers a power output of 100 microwatts at 3 volts. While its current capacity is insufficient for high-energy devices like smartphones or laptops, Betavolt envisions applications combining multiple batteries to meet greater demands. The company plans to launch a more powerful one-watt version later this year, with uses ranging from consumer electronics to drones capable of flying continuously without recharging.

BV100紧凑而功能强大，大约是小硬币的大小，并在3伏特下提供100 microwatts的功率输出。尽管它的当前容量不足以用于智能手机或笔记本电脑（例如智能手机或笔记本电脑），但Betavolt设想了将多个电池组合起来以满足更大需求的应用程序。该公司计划在今年晚些时候推出更强大的一瓦版本，其用途从消费电子产品到能够连续飞行而无需充电的无人机。

However, the nuclear battery’s advantages go beyond longevity and compactness. Compared to conventional chemical batteries, it boasts an energy density over ten times greater than ternary lithium batteries, storing 3,300 milliwatt-hours per gram. It is highly resistant to extreme conditions, operating reliably in temperatures ranging from -60°C to +120°C without self-discharge or risks of fire or explosion. The company claims the cell’s environmental impacts are minimal since the radioactive nickel-63 core decays into stable copper over time, eliminating the need for costly recycling processes.

但是，核电池的优势超出了寿命和紧凑的范围。与传统的化学电池相比，它具有比三元锂电池大10倍以上的能量密度，每克储存3,300毫瓦小时。它对极端条件具有很高的抵抗力，在没有自我释放或火灾或爆炸的风险的情况下，温度可靠地运行。该公司声称，由于放射性镍63核心随着时间的推移而变成稳定的铜，因此该细胞的环境影响很小，从而消除了对昂贵的回收过程的需求。

Betavolt’s innovation departs from traditional nuclear battery designs that relied on bulky and expensive thermoelectric generators developed during the Cold War era. These older models were limited to aerospace applications due to high internal temperatures and safety concerns. In contrast, Betavolt’s betavoltaic technology generates electricity through beta particles emitted during radioactive decay – a safer and more compact alternative.

Betavolt的创新偏离了传统的核电站设计，这些核电站的设计依赖于冷战时代开发的笨重且昂贵的热电发电机。由于内部温度高和安全问题，这些较旧的模型仅限于航空航天应用。相比之下，Betavolt的Betavoltaic技术通过放射性衰减期间发出的β颗粒产生电力 - 一种更安全，更紧凑的替代方案。

Betavolt notes that its technology has practically unlimited applications, including use cases in aerospace systems, artificial intelligence devices, medical equipment, small drones, micro-robots, and more. Virtually anything requiring long-lasting power supplies is a potential market.

Betavolt指出，其技术实际上具有无限的应用，包括航空航天系统中的用例，人工智能设备，医疗设备，小型无人机，微型机器人等。实际上，任何需要持久电源的东西都是潜在的市场。

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Zhang Wei, chairman and CEO of Betavolt, noted that the company is currently the only global producer of large diamond semiconductor materials. This capability also has applications in supercapacitors and ultra-long carbon nanotube materials sectors.

Betavolt的董事长兼首席执行官Zhang Wei指出，该公司目前是唯一的大型钻石半导体材料的全球生产商。该能力还具有超级电容器和超长碳纳米管材料扇区的应用。

The breakthrough has sparked global interest in nuclear battery development. Institutions such as Northwest Normal University in China are exploring similar technologies using rare isotopes like carbon-14. International competitors like City Labs in the U.S., Kronos Advanced Technologies, Yasheng Group, and Arkenlight in the UK are also pushing forward with advancements in betavoltaic technology. City Labs recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop long-lasting betavoltaic batteries for medical devices like pacemakers and artificial hearts. However, these cells use tritium as a radioactive core.

这一突破激发了全球对核电电池开发的兴趣。中国西北师范大学等机构正在使用碳14等稀有同位素探索类似的技术。像美国的城市实验室，Kronos Advanced Technologies，Yasheng Group和Arkenlight这样的国际竞争对手也正在推动Betavoltaic技术的进步。 City Labs最近获得了美国国立卫生研究院的资金，以开发持久的Betavoltaic电池，用于起搏器和人工心脏等医疗设备。但是，这些细胞使用tri虫作为放射性核心。