China Achieves Full-Chain Independence in Carbon-14 Nuclear Battery Technology with Launch of 'Qianjiyuan' Series in Lanzhou

A technical achievement launch event titled "Qianji Qiyuan · Nuclear Energy Revolution" was held on July 6 in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Hosted by Northwest Normal University and organized by Gansu Zhulong Technology Co., the event marked the official debut of two core research products under the new domestic brand: the 'Qianjiyuan Tianshu' carbon-14 nuclear battery and the 'Qianjiyuan Nengshu' silicon carbide transducer.

Strategic Importance of Nuclear Batteries

Nuclear batteries are indispensable long-life power sources for applications such as aerospace exploration, polar scientific expeditions, special-purpose equipment, and unattended systems. They are also considered a key component of China's next-generation energy infrastructure and strategic technology capabilities. For years, the industry has faced persistent bottlenecks including low output power, insufficient structural integration, and high application costs.

Technical Advantages of Carbon-14 Nuclear Batteries

Professor Su Maogen, head of the project team at Northwest Normal University, noted that carbon-14 isotopes have a half-life of 5,730 years, theoretically enabling operational lifespans measured in thousands of years. The material also demonstrates extreme temperature tolerance, functioning across a range of -100°C to 200°C.

The team leveraged carbon-14 radiation sources to push output power to the microwatt level, paired with high-performance silicon carbide (SiC) transducers for energy conversion. The goal is to meet the demand for long-life, maintenance-free power supply in applications such as IoT sensing, deep-sea exploration, and aerospace.

Five Major Technical Breakthroughs

Compared to the 'Zhulong-1' engineering prototype — China's first C-14 nuclear battery, released in November 2024 — the 'Qianjiyuan' series achieves five key technical advances:

1. Radiation source adaptation technology
2. Silicon carbide energy transduction technology
3. Three-dimensional stacked packaging technology
4. Intelligent power management technology
5. Wireless self-powered sensing technology

Together, these breakthroughs establish a complete, domestically developed and independently controlled technology ecosystem.

Core Performance Specifications

According to official data, the 'Qianjiyuan Tianshu' C-14 nuclear battery uses a 129 millicurie carbon-14 radiation source within a volume of 16.8 cubic centimeters, achieving the following performance metrics:

• Short-circuit current: 0.713 microamps
• Open-circuit voltage: 2.06 V
• Fill factor: 0.77
• Maximum output power: 1.13 microwatts

Significant Improvements Over the Previous Generation

Across all key indicators, the 'Qianjiyuan' series represents a substantial leap over its predecessor:

• Radiation source specific activity increased by 1.5×, while the amount of source material used is only 22% of the previous generation, significantly reducing core material costs
• Short-circuit current increased to 2.5× the previous generation; fill factor improved from 0.73 to 0.77
• Maximum output power reaches 2.6× the previous generation
• Effective volume reduced to just 17% of the previous generation, while maintaining consistent open-circuit voltage and output stability
• Volumetric power density improved by 15.5×

These performance gains collectively overcome the traditional limitations of C-14 nuclear batteries — low efficiency, high cost, large form factor, and low power density — achieving a systematic upgrade toward miniaturization, higher power output, lower cost, and greater integration.

A Milestone in Full-Chain Domestic Independence

The launch of the 'Qianjiyuan' series marks a critical milestone: China has now achieved full-chain domestic independence in C-14 nuclear battery development, spanning radiation source production, core transduction components, safety packaging structures, micro-energy management, and application scenario validation. This represents a significant step forward in the field of long-life specialty power sources.

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