The California company – NDB (which stands for Nano Diamond Batteries) – said the batteries would help contribute to the circular economy by ending the need for replacement batteries in electronics.
In an interview with Digital Trends, NDB CEO Dr Nima Golsharifi said that the batteries work by using the radiation from radioactive nuclear waste to generate electricity.
The company take waste graphite that was previously used in graphite-cooled nuclear reactors, and encase the graphite in layers of nano-thin, single crystalline diamond.
The nano-diamonds act both as a semiconductor and as a heat sink, helping to convert the energy in the waste into the power.
The batteries could also act as a useful way of disposing of nuclear waste, which is high dangerous but also rich in energy.
Golsharifi told Digital Trends: “NDB solutions, and the purpose of our company, is to make good use of these byproducts and resolve the nuclear waste issues, and in turn help the environment by promoting the nuclear energy which is a clean source, and in turn supporting the society by creating a sort of circular economy.”
Golsharifi said that the batteries are perfectly safe, with the nuclear waste safely trapped within the nano diamonds.
Addressing the long-standing fear of nuclear waste, Golsharifi noted that many common consumer products already contain radioactive materials.
“Not many people know that most smoke detectors contain radioactive material; still, they have them at home without any problem,” said Golsharifi.
NDB are developing two different versions of the battery, one of which – the “forever” version – they claim will last 28,000 years before it runs out of charge.