China develops carbon-14 nuclear battery that could last thousands of years

Researchers at Northwest Normal University and Gansu Zhulong Technology in China have built a new nuclear battery using carbon-14 and a silicon carbide transducer. The battery, called Qianjiyuan Tianshu, is about the size of a cubic inch and can deliver 1.13 microwatts of power. It uses beta decay from carbon-14 to generate electricity directly, similar to how a solar panel works but with radiation instead of light. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years, so the battery could theoretically power devices for millennia. The new design improves on an earlier version by increasing power output 2.6 times while using less radioactive material. The team focused on making the device compact, fully domestically produced, and more affordable. Potential applications include remote environmental sensors, medical implants, and spacecraft components. The battery uses a silicon carbide semiconductor to convert beta particles into current, avoiding the bulky thermoelectric systems used in traditional nuclear batteries. This approach allows for a much smaller form factor and higher volumetric power density.