A team of physicists and chemists discovered the "diamond age" of power generation that uses nuclear waste to produce electricity in a nuclear-powered battery. The discovery could lead to resolve problems of nuclear waste, clean electricity generation and battery life.
The findings of the discovery were presented at Cabot Institute on a lecture titled "Ideas to Change the World" on Nov. 25, 2016. The study was led by researchers from the University of Bristol. The team has grown a man-made diamond that when placed in a radioactive field, it could generate a small electrical current.
Tom Scott, the professor in Materials in the University's Interface Analysis Centre and a member of the Cabot Institute, explained that there are no moving parts involved, no emissions generated and no maintenance required, just direct electricity generation. He further explained that by encapsulating radioactive material inside diamonds, they turn a long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy.
To read more, click here.