> In 2018 a Russian design based on 2-micron thick nickel-63 slabs sandwiched between 10 micron diamond layers was introduced. It produced a power output of abo

> In 2018 a Russian design based on 2-micron thick nickel-63 slabs sandwiched between 10 micron diamond layers was introduced. It produced a power output of about 1 μW at a power density of 10 μW/cm3. Its energy density was 3.3 kWh/kg. The half-life of nickel-63 is 100 years. And there's nothing to suggest that much has changed in the last ~5 years. It's essentially a radiation source sandwiched in-between solar panels. > Beijing-based Betavolt said its nuclear battery is the first in the world to realise the miniaturisation of atomic energy, placing 63 nuclear isotopes into a module smaller than a coin. My guess is that this is 63 'modules', rather than 63 different isotopes? > Betavoltaic nuclear batteries can be purchased commercially. Available devices include a 100 μW tritium-powered device weighing 20 grams This will just about run an RTC, you would struggle to run an entire smart phone, which random sources seem to agree is about 2W minimum. > The quest to miniaturise and commercialise nuclear batteries was taken up under China’s 14th Five-Year Plan designed to strengthen the country’s economy between 2021 and 2025, while research institutions in the US and Europe are also working on their development. Here is your motivation for the bluff - companies under pressure to meet arbitrary 5-year plan goals set by the CCP [1]. My major concern would be in what happens to these batteries after use. This is not the kind of thing that should be thrown into landfill. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_five-year_plan_(China) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_five-year_plan_(Chi...