The future of biomedicine lies in using nuclear waste to feed vital implants in our body for hundreds of years. And thus avoid having to change batteries or recharge batteries. An English team is working on a new technology with diamonds.
The companies Arkenlight and Axorus have teamed up to create a prototype of the first artificial neuron powered by a diamond betavoltaic battery made from nuclear waste. The goal is to develop medical-grade implants with power sources that last for decades.
Arkenlight was founded by researchers at the University of Bristol who developed a means of take bits of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and turn them into diamonds that can collect high-energy electronsor beta particles, and convert them into usable electricity.
These betavoltaic batteries will generate power for a long time: some can be designed to last decades, others thousands of years, depending on the half-life of the specific isotope they use.
And even though they are made from radioactive nuclear waste, Arkenlight states that they are very safe for use near or even inside the human body, as beta radiation of this type does not penetrate tissue very well.and the extreme hardness of the diamond structure makes it almost impossible to break.
Arkenlight has been working with the French company Axorus, to explore the possibility of using betavoltaic microbatteries to power artificial neurons that they have been developing.
These artificial neurons are designed to fit into a patient’s nervous system and perform a number of functions, based on their ability to communicate with biological neurons“listening” for signals sent by other neurons and sending signals of its own when necessary.
“It is a CMOS circuit“, explains the company, “up to 1,000 times more energy efficient and up to 10 times smaller than a biological neuron. Its very high sensitivity makes it ideal for medical implants“.
The company is currently developing an artificial retina, which pairs an array of artificial neurons with photodiodes, creating an array of “pixels” that can read incoming light and send an electrical signal to the brain via the optic nerve.
Designed for patients with age-related macular degeneration, aims to return to people the central part of its visionalthough initially only in black and white.
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These artificial retinas will be powered by ambient light itselfbut Axorus is looking for solutions to power them at night, and the company has other applications in mind for its artificial neurons in the brain, endocrine system, gut and urinary system.
A tiny, safe betavoltaic battery that lasts for decades could be perfect for these devices, so Axorus and Arkenlight have teamed up to build a proof of concept: the first artificial neuron powered by a tritium radiovoltaic energy microgenerator.
The company remains hopeful of being able to commercialize something before 2024.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism