The first mobile phone was created over forty years ago. Science is progressing, of course. And who would have thought at that time that forty years later an atomic battery for a telephone would be released ? Yes, science is not striding by leaps and bounds, but still with significant breakthroughs in many areas, especially recently. And this article will be devoted specifically to the use of atomic batteries in modern devices.
Introduction
Now the smartphone market is one of the most promising areas of electronics. This sphere is developing dynamically, not stopping for a minute. It would seem that only iPhone 3 went on sale, and iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are already on the shelves of mobile phone stores. Needless to say, what path did the company's engineers go to please users with the latest hardware?
The same can be said about Android, and about Windows Phone. A couple of years ago, the whole school class gathered around a lucky guy who had a phone based on the Android operating system. And when someone managed to personally play an application in which you could control the action by turning the screen (especially if this game was from the category of racing), he literally shone with happiness.
At present, this will not surprise anyone. Even first-graders are now quietly using Apple phones without much joy and enthusiasm, not knowing how lucky they really are. Still, they simply don’t know that there once existed telephones operating using push-button rather than touch control. That on those phones there were only a couple of games. And that even the snake on the two-color screen of the Nokia 1100 was an occasion of great delight for the children of that time, and they played it almost for days on end.
Of course, then the games were much less quality. It was possible to use such phones for several days without recharging. Now the gaming industry in the field of smartphones has reached a higher level, and this requires more powerful telephone batteries. How much, in your opinion, is capable of holding out the most modern, most powerful smartphone in terms of battery life?
Do we need a nuclear battery?
We assure you that even with passive use, it (smartphone) is unlikely to last more than 3 days. As power sources in modern smartphones, lithium-ion batteries are used. Slightly less common are models that run on polymer batteries. In fact, such phones do not withstand a very long work. You can play them during battery life, watch movies on them in a matter of hours, which usually does not exceed ten. Manufacturers of such devices compete in several areas at once. The most active struggle is for the first place according to the following criteria:
- Screen diagonal.
- Hardware and performance.
- Dimensions (more specifically, the struggle is for reducing thickness).
- Powerful autonomous power supply.
As we see, the question of whether we need an atomic battery for the phone remains open. According to the calculations of scientists, in the future it will be possible to equip the phones with batteries that operate on the basis of the reaction of a nuclear element called “tritium”. In this case, the phones can work without recharging up to 20 years, according to the most conservative estimates. Impressive, isn't it?
How new is the idea of an atomic battery?
The idea of creating miniature atomic reactors (we are talking about atomic batteries) appeared in bright minds not so long ago. It was suggested that the use of such equipment in appropriate technical devices will make it possible to deal with the problem of not only the need for constant recharging, but also with others.
TASS: do-it-yourself atomic battery. Engineers tell
The first statement about the invention of the battery, which will work based on nuclear energy, was made by a division of the domestic concern called Rosatom. It was a Mining and Chemical Combine. Engineers said that the first power source, which is positioned as an atomic battery, can be created as early as 2017.
The principle of operation will consist in the reactions that occur using the isotope "Nickel-63". More specifically, we are talking about beta radiation. Interestingly, a battery built on this principle will be able to work for about half a century. Dimensions will be very, very compact. For example: if you take an ordinary finger-type battery and squeeze it 30 times, then you can clearly see what size an atomic battery will have.
Is the atomic battery safe?
Engineers are absolutely sure that such a power source will not pose any danger to human health. The reason for this confidence was the design of the battery. Of course, direct beta radiation of any isotope will harm a living organism. But, firstly, in this battery it will be “soft”. Secondly, even this radiation will not come out, since it will be absorbed inside the power source itself.
Due to the fact that atomic batteries “Russia A123” will absorb radiation inside themselves, not letting it out, experts are already building a strategic forecast for the use of an atomic battery in various fields of medicine. For example, it can be introduced into the design of pacemakers. The second most promising area is the space industry. In third place, of course, is industry. Outside the top three there are many branches in which it will be possible to successfully use an atomic energy source. Perhaps the most important of these is transport.
Disadvantages of Atomic Power Supply
What do we get in exchange for an atomic battery? So to speak, what will we see if we look from the other side? Firstly, the production of such autonomous energy sources will cost a pretty penny. Engineers did not want to give exact amounts. Perhaps they were afraid to draw wrong early conclusions. However, a rough estimate was given not in numbers but in words. That is, "everything is very expensive." Well, this was to be expected, considering the essence of the matter simply logically. It is perhaps too early to talk about serial production on an industrial scale. It remains only to hope that over time alternative technologies will be found that allow creating an atomic battery without compromising its reliability and practicality, but much cheaper.
By the way, TASS estimated 1 gram of substance at 4 thousand dollars. Thus, in order to gain the necessary mass of atomic matter that will ensure long-term use of the battery, it is currently necessary to spend 4.5 million rubles. The problem is the isotope itself. In nature, it simply does not exist; an isotope is created using special reactors. In our country there are only three of them. As mentioned earlier, it may be possible to use other elements over time to reduce the cost of producing the source.
Tomsk Atomic battery
The invention of atomic batteries is not limited to professional engineers and designers. Recently, a student at Tomsk Polytechnic University, who studied in graduate school, developed a model of a new nuclear-powered battery. This man’s name is Dmitry Prokopiev. Its development is capable of functioning normally for 12 years. During this time, it will not need to be charged even once.
The center of the system was a radioactive isotope called tritium. With skillful use, it allows you to direct the energy released during the half-life into the right direction. In this case, the energy is released in parts. It can be said, dosed or portioned. Recall that the half-life of this nuclear element is about 12 years. That is why the use of the battery on this element is possible for the specified period.
Tritium benefits
Compared to an atomic battery that has a silicon detector, a tritium-based atomic battery does not change its characteristics over time. And this is its undoubted advantage, it should be noted. We tested the invention at the Novosibirsk Institute of Nuclear Physics, as well as at the Physics and Technology Institute of Tomsk University. A nuclear battery, the principle of which is based on a nuclear reaction, has certain prospects. This is usually the field of electronics. Along with it are military equipment, medicine and the aerospace industry. We have already talked about this.
Conclusion
Despite the high cost of producing atomic batteries, we hope that we will still meet them in the phones of the near future. Now a few words about the element that will form the basis of the battery. Tritium is certainly nuclear in nature. However, the radiation of this element is weak. It cannot harm human health. Internal organs and skin will not suffer from skillful use. That is why it was he who was chosen for use in batteries.