The Secret to Unlimited Energy Is in a Coin-Sized Battery—And China Is Already Producing It

In the world of batteries, duration is king. Whether nestled in the smallest wearable or providing back-up power for the electric grid, a battery that provides reliable energy for longer will always outlast the competition—figuratively and literally.

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. In early 2024, the Chinese company Betavolt revealed 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.

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.

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.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE The Secret to Unlimited Energy Is in a Coin-Sized Battery—And China Is Already Producing It The Secret to Unlimited Energy Is in a Coin-Sized Battery—And China Is Already Producing It In the world of batteries, duration is king. Whether nestled in the smallest wearable or providing back-up power for the electric grid, a battery that provides reliable energy for longer will always outlast the competition—figuratively and literally. 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. In early 2024, the Chinese company Betavolt revealed 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. 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. 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. In the world of batteries, duration is king. Whether nestled in the smallest wearable or providing back-up power for the electric grid, a battery that provides reliable energy for longer will always outlast the competition—figuratively and literally. 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. In early 2024, the Chinese company Betavolt revealed 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. 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. 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. Read More Read More After 96 Years, Archaeologists Finally Found the Missing Part of a Legendary Statue Ramesses II is whole again. Read More An Engineer Says He's Found a Way to Overcome Earth's Gravity This new propulsion system could rewrite the rules of spaceflight—not to mention completely defy conventional physics. Read More A New Cat Color Is Defying Genetic Expectations From roots to tips, this fur tells a tale of evolutionary wonder. Read More I Worked in the Middle of Nowhere with the Bluetti Handsfree 2 Backpack Power Station When remote is truly remote, this is what you need to keep devices charged. 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