英國科學家用核廢料造清潔電池 可供電5000年

Researchers at the University of Bristol have found a means of creating a battery capable of generating clean electricity for five millennia.

英國布里斯托大學的研究人員日前發現了一種可產生夠使用5000年的清潔能源電池的製造方法。

Scientists found that by heating graphite blocks - used to house uranium rods in nuclear reactors - much of the radioactive carbon is given off as a gas.

這一成果是科學家們通過加熱石墨塊發現的，這種石墨塊是核反應堆中用來嵌入鈾棒的，其中放射性碳大部分會變成氣體釋放出來。

This can then be gathered and turned into radioactive diamonds using a high-temperature chemical reaction, in which carbon atoms are left on the surface in small, dark-colored diamond crystals.

然後這些碳氣體被收集起來，利用高溫化學反應，可以轉化爲放射性金剛石，碳原子以小小的黑色金剛石晶體的形式沉積於表面。

These man-made diamonds produce a small electrical charge when placed near a radioactive source.

當被置於一個放射源附近的時候，這些人造金剛石能夠產生一個小電荷。

The radioactive diamonds are then encased safely within a layer of non-radioactive diamond. The surface of a complete diamond emits less radiation than a banana.

這些放射性金剛石隨後被安全地包裹進一個非放射性金剛石層。因此形成的金剛石電池組表面發出的輻射量比香蕉還低。

The Bristol scientists have already created a working diamond battery from nickel-63, a radioactive isotope more stable than carbon-14, which is prevalent in nuclear waste.

布里斯托的科學家們用鎳-63製造出有效的金剛石電池。鎳-63是另一種放射性同位素，比碳-14還穩定，在覈廢料中十分普遍。

They will create their first carbon-14 batteries in the New Year.

在新年的時候，科學家們將製作出第一批碳-14電池。

"There are no moving parts involved, no emissions generated and no maintenance required, just direct electricity generation," said Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at the University of Bristol Interface Analysis Centre.

布里斯托大學界面分析中心材料學教授湯姆·斯科特表示：“這種電池沒有活動部件，不排放廢氣，也不需要維護，就是直接發電。”

"By encapsulating radioactive material inside diamonds, we turn a long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy."

“通過將放射性材料封入金剛石，我們就把核廢料這個長期問題變成了核電池，長期提供清潔能源。”