By Abiola Olawale
In a groundbreaking achievement, two Nigerian-British scientists collaborated with a team from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to create the world’s very first diamond battery.
The two Nigerian-British scientists are; Senior Engineer, Atomic Energy Authority, Eseosa Ekanem and a Senior Process Engineer, Fatimha Sanni.
The scientists said the diamond battery has the potential to generate electricity for thousands of years.
The battery is said to be constructed using lab-grown synthetic diamonds that encapsulate a radioactive isotope known as Carbon-14.
Speaking on the device, Ekanem, who hails from Edo State, Nigeria, noted that the unique combination would not only harness the stability and durability of diamonds but also leverage the long half-life of Carbon-14 to provide a sustainable power solution that could revolutionize energy storage.
She stated: “These batteries are made from diamonds that have been statistically run in the lab. So what we’re trying to do is to have the carbon 14 put into the diamond, and diamond, being a very hard substance, can absorb off that radiation and ensure that this radiation doesn’t get out. And so the actual battery itself is very safe.”
Also, Stephen Wheeler from the UK Atomic Energy Authority described the initiative as a huge potential for the future.
He asserted: “This technology is particularly suitable for places you can’t access – if it’s in space or sub-sea, or you don’t want to access it because it’s in a hazardous environment.
“This is one area that you feel you’re making a positive impact.”
Fatimha, who hails from Kano State in Nigeria, said: “If you have to dispose of this battery, you send it back to the manufacturer.
“They can incinerate it, take out the Carbon-14 back and reuse it, so it literally gives us no waste at all – one of the reasons it’s good for the planet.”
