Radioactive Diamond Batteries

I've recently been reading about Radioactive Diamond Batteries, and of course my first thought is always straight to Gamma World and Sci-Fi TTRPGs. 

This tech is a gammavoltaic, powered by the radioactive decay of the nuclear waste housed within. Why diamonds? Diamonds are excellent semiconductors, and they also do a good job of containing the radioactive material so it doesn't leak out. Think of the diamond as both the conductor and the protective shell of the battery.

The games that pop in my head every time I run across an article about these cells are Gamma World, Mutant Crawl Classics, and even Mothership. Nuclear waste leans hard into the irradiated science fantasy settings, and the long life is well suited for a functioning technological artifact. And frankly, it's got GAMMA in the name!

There are limitations to this tech that keeps it from being "game breaking", and that is while the batteries last a very, very long time (up to 28,000 years!). They are extremely low voltage, we're talking about a million times less than a single AA battery.

In terms of game mechanics, it isn't much different than an S-Cell, except it doesn't require exposure to sunlight. Here are some stats for Gamma World:

D-CELL

Tech Level: 4

Complexity Modifier: 3

Value: 50

Avg. Cost: 100 Ð

Power: ~28,000 years

D-Cells are an extremely low power but long-lived power source. They contain radioactive material within a diamond casing. Like S-Cells they are capable of producing small amounts of power, but not for an indefinite period. The advantage is that they do not require exposure to light, and can last as long as 28,000 years.

Comments

  1. PolarFrostyMay 20, 2023 at 10:13 AM

    Sorry to focus on the IRL part of what you posted: would it be possible to array these batteries for more energy production? I gather they're currently expensive but as the tech improves... ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gonzo CrawlerMay 21, 2023 at 7:31 AM

      Yeah who knows what voltage these things could reach. If lab diamond can be created easily enough it's a fantastic conductor and should stay viable for literal ages. I adjusted the game mechanics so that it has the same output as a solar battery, but does not need to be removed to be charge. We're definitely far from that being a reality in our present day.

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