Two female British-Nigerian Engineers contribute to Groundbreaking Diamond Battery Innovation

By Jessica Osajie / Posted December 16, 2024

A groundbreaking innovation by Eseosa Ekanem and Fatimah Sanni, Senior Engineers at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, marks a remarkable milestone in energy technology. Their invention of the world’s first diamond battery represents a fusion of advanced materials science and nuclear energy.

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

This innovation by Eseosa Ekanem and Fatimah Sanni, who are British-Nigerians open up transformative possibilities across industries, from healthcare to aerospace. It not only addresses issues of energy efficiency and sustainability but also offers solutions to power needs in extreme or remote conditions.

The duo working together with other scientists on their team have combined the beauty, brains and brute strength of diamonds with the power of atomic energy. Explaining the process of making the diamond batteries, Ekanem said, “These batteries are made from diamonds that have been synthetically grown in the lab.

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

“What we’re trying to do is to have the carbon-14 put into the diamond, and diamond, being a very hard substance, can absorb off that radiation and ensure that this radiation doesn’t get out. And so, the actual battery itself is very safe.”

Studies have shown that Carbon-14, a radioactive gas, emits fast-moving electrons as it decays. The battery uses those to create electricity, much like a solar panel uses light particles. Compared to a normal battery, which may only last for a few months, the half-life of carbon-14 is so long. In 5,000 years, a diamond battery would still be at 50 percent power.

This technology is particularly suitable for places where you either can’t access it because it is in space or subsea or you don’t want to access it because it is in a hazardous environment. That includes inside the human body, from devices like pacemakers to hearing aids and even implants in the eyes.

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

Sanni explained that the benefits for the environment could be even greater, noting that, “If you have to change or return or dispose of this battery in any case, you’re going to have to just send it back to the manufacturer. They incinerate it, we capture the carbon-14 back, and we reuse it. So, literally, it gives us no waste at all.”

According to reports, this technology will be an affordable alternative to alkaline and lithium. Ekanem has worked with the UK Atomic Energy Authority for over three years, starting as a Research and Development Engineer. She has also held product engineering roles at Harrowgate Energy Services Limited and Chevron.

She has a bachelor’s degree from Covenant University, a Master’s in Advanced Process Engineering from Loughborough University, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London.

On the other hand, Sanni has been a Tritium Engineer at the UK Energy Authority since 2017. She also worked at ExxonMobil before she left Nigeria and attended the University of Manchester.

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

The work of Ekanem and Sanni underscores the contributions of British Nigerians to cutting-edge technology and highlights the role of diversity in driving scientific progress.

Note: Jessica is on Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) at DDNEWSONLINE.COM from the Department of Mass Communications, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).