What should we do to dispose of nuclear waste? Dump them in the ocean? Bury them in the desert? Those are only temporary measures because we will eventually run out of space. However it seems that researchers over at the University of Bristol have found a way (via Engadget) to use diamonds and convert nuclear waste into clean batteries.
Now these aren’t the diamonds that you would wear as jewelry. These are man-made diamonds, and what happens is that the researchers have found that these man-made diamonds are capable of producing a charge simply by being in close proximity to a radioactive source. In this case, the nuclear waste.
According to Tom Scott, Professor in Materials in the University’s Interface Analysis Centre, “There are no moving parts involved, no emissions generated and no maintenance required, just direct electricity generation. By encapsulating radioactive material inside diamonds, we turn a long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy.”
However these batteries aren’t exactly high-powered batteries, so don’t expect them to power your home or your electric car. Instead it is envisioned that it could be used to power low-powered devices where replacing its battery might not be very convenient. It is estimated that these batteries have the potential to last a long time and will take about 5,730 years to reach 50%.
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