WASHINGTON – Researchers in South Korea say they have built a battery powered by radioactive carbon that could run devices for decades without charging, but the technology faces a wall of unanswered safety questions and regulatory hurdles that could take years to resolve, if they can be resolved at all.
A team from the Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology, and Yonsei University claims their device converts radiation from carbon-14 into electricity at 10.79% efficiency, more than double the typical rate for similar batteries, according to a study published in Carbon Energy in 2025.
The pitch and the problems
The battery works by capturing particles released when carbon-14 breaks down naturally and converting that radiation into a small electrical current. Carbon-14 has a half-life exceeding 5,000 years, meaning the batteries could theoretically power devices for decades.
But the power output is minimal, far below what standard batteries produce. And no regulatory framework exists in any country to permit radioactive materials in consumer electronics.
The researchers suggest medical implants, space equipment, and remote sensors as potential uses. They provided no timeline for commercialization, no cost analysis, and no disposal plan for devices that would remain radioactive for millennia.
Regulatory reality check
Putting radioactive material into products that could end up in homes, hospitals, or landfills would require entirely new regulatory systems in the United States and most other countries.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Food and Drug Administration would likely both have jurisdiction over medical devices. State environmental agencies would need protocols for handling and disposal. No such frameworks currently exist.
Even if the radiation from carbon-14 is weak enough to be shielded, questions remain about what happens when devices break, get thrown away, or end up in fires or accidents.
What they are not saying
The study does not address manufacturing safety for workers handling radioactive materials. It does not explain how broken or obsolete batteries would be collected, stored, or disposed of. It does not estimate the environmental impact of producing thousands or millions of small radioactive devices.
The researchers claim their battery ran for 15 hours in lab conditions. They did not release data on long-term durability, real-world performance, or failure modes.