Ukrainian scientist Vladislav Kiselev claims that he
has developed a type of battery that can power gadgets like smartphones and
even cars for up to 12 years, without having to be recharged.
Kiselev,
a senior researcher at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and
Petrochemistry in Kiev, and professor at Ukraine’s National Academy of
Sciences, unveiled his intriguing battery prototype during the 2016
edition of Sikorsky Challenge, a prestigious international competition for
research projects.
The
matchbox-like device looks fairly unimpressive, but the Ukrainian scientist
claims that it has been continuously powering electrical devices for a year and
four months without a single recharge, and will continue to do so for the next
11 years. That’s because his “battery” produces energy instead of simply
storing it.
But with virtually all the world’s
battery manufacturers and researchers struggling to come up with a real
breakthrough in battery technology, how did Kiselev create one that he claims
lasts for 12 years? The senior researcher says he was able to do it by taking
advantage of a key property of tritium – the ability to emit electrons.
He
adds that American company City Labs also makes use of the radioactive
isotope of hydrogen, but whereas they use tritium-covered solar cells, he opted
for an enhanced electrochemical cells, which makes the battery 1,000 times
more powerful.
So
whereas City Labs NanoTritium™ batteries provide low power to devices like
medical implants and various sensors, Kiselev’s version can be used to
power large electronic devices and even cars.
The
scientist adds that electrochemical cells similar to the one he uses in
his battery have been used in Ukraine since the 1930s, but no one has ever been
able to use them for energy generation. He and his team were able to improve
the design in order to achieve this.
Interestingly
enough, Kiselev says that after failing to secure research grants for the
project, he and his colleagues funded themselves. Now, after presenting the
results of their labor at Sikorsky Challenge, Kiselev says that he is in talks
with both Turkish and Chinese businessmen to produce a version of his tritium battery
that can be used in mobile phones.
Regarding
the radioactive properties of tritium, Vladislav Kiselev emphasized the
fact that some radioactive substances are not hazardous to humans, and
tritium is one of them. It is actually used as a radioluminescent light source
in wristwatches.
Kiselev believes that tritium is the
future of energy, and claims that the fact that 11 of the world’s most advanced
countries are planning to build an international fusion reactor – also based on
tritium – to produce energy is proof of that.
Comments