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US researchers have unveiled a new penny-sized "nuclear battery" which can retain almost a million times the power of conventional chemical batteries. Developed by a team at the University of Missouri, the new battery produces energy from the process of decaying radioisotopes, which releases charged particles that can be harvested for an electrical current.

Do you remember in 1989 when two chemists announced they’d created a setup that created nuclear fusion at room temperature? Everyone was excited, but it eventually turned out to be very suspect. It wasn’t clear how they detected that fusion occurred and only a few of the many people who tried to replicate the experiment claimed success and they later retracted their reports. Since then, mentioning cold fusion is right up there with perpetual motion. Work does continue though, and NASA recently published several papers on lattice confinement fusion which is definitely not called cold fusion, although it sounds like...

The atomic energy of betavoltaic batteries can power a variety of devices, from aerospace and robots to your future smartphone, for up to a century without recharging. ================================================================== In the world of batteries, duration is king. Whether nestled in the smallest wearable or providing back-up power for the electric grid, a battery that provides reliable energy for longer will always outlast the competition—figuratively and literally. The U.S. led the way in nuclear battery innovation over the past 70 years—and even developed the first battery that ran on nuclear radiation in the 1950s. But in the 21st century, China has become...

Donut Lab commissioned VTT to validate its bold solid-state claims, and the results show near-full capacity retention even after ultra-fast charging... Rapid charging under test VTT Technical Research Centre ran the tests in what engineers described as a worst-case scenario. The lab did not use active temperature controls. It also let the cell’s heat rise freely at high charging rates. Experts measured performance using C-rates, where 1C equals a one-hour charge from empty to full. Under that scale, 5C roughly equals a 12-minute charge, and 11C is about a five- to six-minute charge. The process began with a standard discharge...

A revolutionary solid state battery was publicized globally in January of 2026, but not shown in person. If the announcement is true, the world will be dramatically changed. We interviewed the co-founder of Donut Labs, which made the announcement: • Donut Labs and Verge Motorcycles In Depth ... We dug up as much information as we could, including a few bit we haven't seen anywhere else. We found a billionaire and some intellectual property which could explain the amazing properties of this battery. Heck, we even take a guess at a specific battery chemistry and manufacturing method which might fit...

What if the future of energy storage wasn’t just an incremental improvement but a complete reimagining? Solid-state batteries, long considered the holy grail of energy technology, could be the key to unlocking safer, faster, and more sustainable power solutions. In this guide, Ziroth explores how Donut Lab’s bold claim of creating the world’s first solid-state battery could transform industries like electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. But with skepticism swirling around untested prototypes and ambitious performance metrics, the question remains: is this breakthrough the real deal or just another overhyped promise? This investigation dives into the fascinating claims surrounding Donut...

The electric vehicle (EV) world is buzzing with rumors about a revolutionary new battery from Toyota. Whispers of a 1000-mile range and a 5-minute charge time have dominated headlines and YouTube videos, all pointing to a groundbreaking aluminum-ion battery. But what’s the real story behind these incredible claims? We dove deep into the official announcements to separate the hype from reality for our readers at aluminiumion.com. The Aluminum-Ion Buzz Recent online reports have been ablaze with claims of a game-changing aluminum-ion battery from Toyota. These reports, largely fueled by a series of viral YouTube videos, suggest that Toyota’s CEO, Koji...

How CATL Made Batteries 90% Cheaper (And What Happens Next). What if I told you the world's largest battery company just announced batteries that cost as low as $10 per kilowatt hour? Not $100. Ten. And the kicker? They're using salt. Yes, the same stuff sitting on your kitchen table. But CATL makes more lithium batteries than anyone else on the planet. They're literally winning the lithium game. So why are they suddenly pivoting to a technology that's been considered second-rate for decades? No technical papers. No detailed explanations. Just bold claims and two new products ready to hit the...

Schematic diagram of the first room temperature all-solid-state hydride ion battery. Credit: DICP ============================================================ Scientists have built the first rechargeable hydride ion battery. Hydride ions (H⁻) have drawn interest as potential charge carriers for future electrochemical devices because of their extremely low mass and high redox potential. Yet, progress has been limited since no electrolyte has been able to provide the combination of rapid ion movement, thermal stability, and compatibility with electrodes that such systems require. A recent study in Nature reports a breakthrough from Prof. Ping Chen and his team at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), part...

An ICE agent who was filmed brutally slamming a woman to the ground in front of her children has been 'relieved' of his duties, according to an official. Now-viral footage of the male officer showed him throwing her to the hard ground as he repeatedly told her 'adios'. The woman was heard pleading with the plain-clothes official at the New York City customs and immigration offices after her husband was detained and whisked away by ICE agents just moments earlier. Her young daughter cried as her mother was violently forced to the floor and witnesses rushed to surround her. Now,...

The irony of eco-friendly electric vehicles is the mountainous load of electronic waste they produce. So far, most targeted efforts to recycle EV batteries have been expensive and chemically toxic—and they haven’t stuck. That could change soon, however, thanks to a promising breakthrough from MIT. In a Nature Chemistry paper published August 28, researchers describe a new type of self-assembling material that easily dissolves in organic solvents. It works reasonably well as the electrolyte in a solid-state battery cell—the design major EV producers are racing to implement. Notably, the process doesn’t require the harsh chemical and thermal conditions that make...

I keep reading how big batteries are all it takes to make wind and solar reliable as the sole grid electricity source. The reality is that making wind and solar work at all requires a fantastic amount of battery backup, far more than is possible. Below is an example using the PJM grid. PJM is America’s biggest grid operator, with a territory covering the Mid-Atlantic and points west. Their territory includes the Washington, DC metro area, where all the federal bigwigs live, making it a good place to start. I also live there. We are quantifying a fantasy, so let’s...

A confrontation erupted outside the San Francisco Immigration Court this week, as video shared by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) captured a tense altercation between agents and protesters. The clash, which took place Tuesday, is the latest in a growing series of confrontations with federal immigration officers. According to ICE, assaults on immigration agents have surged nearly 700% compared to last year. Footage posted by the agency on X shows masked protesters scuffling with ICE agents wielding batons. "Get back, get back," agents are heard repeatedly telling protesters. "Shame on you, shame on you," protesters are heard yelling, amid...

The Chinese military affiliated battery manufacturer CATL appears to be in charge of hiring for roles at the Ford plant that executives said would be wholly owned and operated by the American company. AChinese company appears to be in charge of hiring workers for Ford’s new battery plant in Michigan, contradicting the company’s statements that it will be an American-owned and operated project, and amplifying concerns from locals about potential national security implications. The plant has generated significant controversy because of Ford’s partnership with China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, known as CATL, which closely collaborates with the Chinese military and...

Astartup led by a Canadian battery chemist is racing to crack a made-in-America energy breakthrough even as Trump’s tariffs cast a long shadow over the battery supply chain. Boston-based Pure Lithium is building a pilot plant for a new kind of lithium metal battery, one it claims could outperform today’s lithium-ion cells, and, crucially, be built entirely without Chinese inputs. These efforts come at a crucial time for the U.S., as the world’s biggest economy moves to loosen China’s grip on the global supply of critical minerals. China dominates minerals China’s dominance in this space continues to pose a strategic...

Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver (woman in the red jacket) physically attacked ICE agents at Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday. Democrat members of Congress and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka went to ‘inspect’ the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey when all hell broke loose. In February, ICE announced it was expanding detention capacity with the Delaney Hall facility. “This detention center is the first to open under the new administration,” said acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello in February. “The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in...

Seven Georgia students — some as young as 5 — were arrested for allegedly attacking their 7-year-old classmate during an early morning bus ride to school, according to police. The alleged attackers, who range in age from 5 to 14, were slapped with battery charges for the vicious beatdown that erupted while their bus was en route to Mattie Lively Elementary School in Statesboro on April 18, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday. Police said they were notified of the heinous assault roughly a week later and identified the troubled students after reviewing the transport’s security footage, which captured...

Researchers have developed a battery that can convert nuclear energy into electricity via light emission, a new study suggests. Nuclear power plants, which generate about 20% of all electricity produced in the United States, produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions. However, these systems do create radioactive waste, which can be dangerous to human health and the environment. Safely disposing of this waste can be challenging. Using a combination of scintillator crystals, high-density materials that emit light when they absorb radiation, and solar cells, the team, led by researchers from The Ohio State University, demonstrated that ambient gamma radiation could be...

The County of Monterey has sent out an alert to residents that smoke was seen coming from the Moss Landing area on Tuesday evening (Feb. 18). North Monterey County firefighters say that a group of batteries smoldered and reignited. The alert sent at around 8:40 p.m. reads, "Light smoke observed at Vistra Battery Facility North County Fire is on scene investigating what appears to be smoke coming from the previously burned area within the Vistra Moss Landing lithium-ion battery facility." A second alert was sent at 10 p.m. saying that public safety agencies were in unified command due to the...

An e-bike battery that exploded is being blamed for an apartment fire in the city of Ithaca Monday morning. When firefighters arrived on Cherry Street at around 6:40, they found heavy smoke coming from the fourth floor of the five-story building. They determined a battery was burning in the apartment, which ignited other materials. The three people who were inside the apartment were able to escape safely. The building sustained moderate smoke and water damage. The sprinkler system activated and prevented the fire from growing larger. The Red Cross was called to help those residents who were displaced and no...