New Nuclear Battery From China Could Keep Devices Running for Thousands of Years
Consider an energy source that could keep running long after the smartphones, satellites, and generations of devices we have today become outdated. It may not be able to run our everyday gadgets and devices, but this idea has gotten closer to its realization for specific uses. Researchers from China have declared that they developed a new nuclear battery that combines an extended operational life span with enhanced power density, which is a significant breakthrough in compact power sources meant for extreme conditions.
A group of scientists from the Northwest Normal University, along with the Chinese company Gansu Zhulong Technology, has presented the carbon-14 nuclear battery Qianjiyuan Tianshu. The researchers state that all the technologies and elements that have been used for creating this device are domestic, which means that it is much superior in comparison to its predecessor, Candle Dragon-I (Zhulong-1), that had been revealed in November 2024.
The novel nuclear battery can generate 1.13 microwatts (µW) of power while using 22% less radioactive material than its predecessor. The upgraded construction compared to Zhulong-1 enhances the short circuit current by 2.5 times, enhances the maximum power of the device by 2.6 times, and reduces its effective volume to 17% of the former.
According to project leader Su Maogen, the battery uses carbon-14 for its work. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope that has a half-life of nearly 5730 years. The actual lifespan will depend on the device’s durability and its uses, but even so, carbon-14 will undergo a process of decay, allowing the batteries to attain a very long life.
A nuclear battery is different from a nuclear reactor. A nuclear battery produces energy not through nuclear chain reactions but through radioactive decay. In a Tianshu battery, the electrons produced during the radioactive decay of carbon-14 hit a silicon component inside the battery. Hence, the semiconductor produces current, which works similarly to how a solar panel harnesses energy.
The researchers also noted five major improvements made to the device. The new device has improved radioactive material, a locally produced silicon component for effective energy conversion; a new stacked structural design, an advanced system for water supply, and a series of sensors that work automatically.
The battery occupies a volume of 16.8 cubic centimeters and contains 129 millicuries (mCi) of carbon-14. It achieves a short-circuit current of 0.713 microampere (µA), an open-circuit voltage of 2.06 volts (V), and a fill factor of 0.77, a parameter that reflects the efficiency of a photovoltaic or betavoltaic device.
According to the research team, the battery operates reliably across temperatures ranging from −100°C to 200°C, making it suitable for environments where conventional batteries struggle. Potential applications include medical implants, deep-sea exploration equipment, polar research instruments, defence systems, aerospace technologies, and unmanned platforms.
Despite these advances, the battery’s microwatt-level output means it is intended only for ultra-low-power electronics rather than consumer devices or electric vehicles. Similar radioisotope power technologies have previously supported long-duration space missions such as NASA’s Voyager probes and Curiosity rover, as well as China’s Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-4 lunar missions. The latest development highlights continued progress in compact, long-life nuclear battery technology for specialized scientific and industrial applications.
