This week, we have…

• A fun fact inspired by Elemingle

• Answers to last week's games

• Reader survey

Thorium powered smartphones last forever

Imagine if your phone never needed charging. While that might sound like science fiction, one radioactive element could theoretically power electronic devices for decades without ever needing a battery replacement. Thorium (Elemingle answer #149) contains enough energy density that a single gram could theoretically power a smartphone for over 100 years.

This remarkable energy potential comes from thorium's radioactive properties. Unlike uranium, thorium can't sustain a nuclear chain reaction on its own, making it inherently safer for civilian applications. When thorium-232 absorbs a neutron, it eventually transforms into uranium-233, which can then be used as nuclear fuel.

The idea of thorium-powered consumer electronics isn't entirely theoretical. In 2014, a California startup called NDB (short for Nano Diamond Battery) proposed creating diamond batteries using radioactive isotopes, including thorium, that could last for thousands of years. The concept involves capturing energy from radioactive decay and converting it into electricity. While radiation levels would be kept safely low through diamond encasing, regulatory hurdles and public concerns about radioactive devices have prevented such products from reaching market.

Thorium's abundance adds to its appeal as an energy source. It's about three times more abundant than uranium in Earth's crust and can be found in high concentrations in countries like India, Australia, and the United States. Despite its promise, thorium-powered electronics face significant technical challenges. The technology requires complex shielding to contain radiation safely, and regulatory approval for consumer radioactive devices remains a major hurdle. While we're still waiting for that century-long smartphone battery, thorium continues to intrigue researchers as the ultimate power source for everything from satellites to medical implants.

Learn more: World Nuclear Association, NDB

Trivia

Answers to last week's games

Monday, June 16 to Sunday, June 22.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #489 monitor → monitoring → judging → morality → moral

• #490 piano → talent → talented → superb → great

• #491 man → manhood → genitalia → privates → private

• #492 constitutional → mandatory → important → significantly

• #493 battery → power → opposition → contrary → nonetheless

• #494 comparison → contrast → color → green → salad

• #495 swim → compete → rank → order

• #496 Play now!

Elemingle

• #145 Curium

• #146 Strontium

• #147 Fermium

• #148 Dubnium

• #149 Thorium

• #150 Nihonium

• #151 Neodymium

• #152 Play now!

Forgeous

Play Forgeous for June 23