Additive Manufacturing enables GenX nuclear batteries
An Australian-led Additive Manufacturing research project aims to transform how long-duration space and defence missions are powered, delivering reliable, maintenance-free energy for space, subsea and extreme environments.
The Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) is partnering with South Australian nuclear engineering and technology company entX to transition its GenX Betavoltaic Power Generator to pre-commercial manufacture.
Developed in collaboration with Adelaide University, GenX is a next-generation nuclear battery that combines Additive Manufacturing and advanced surface engineering to deliver what is reported to be unprecedented power density in an ultra-compact form.
“Reliable, long-life power is one of the biggest bottlenecks facing space, subsea and defence systems,” stated Dr Scott Edwards, entX General Manager, Space and Defence. “GenX fundamentally changes what’s possible. By re-engineering betavoltaics as ultra-thin, additively manufactured devices, we’re achieving power densities that were previously out of reach and enabling entirely new mission profiles.”
At the core of GenX is a novel manufacturing process that integrates AM with advanced coating and thin-film deposition, blurring the traditional boundaries between surface engineering and Additive Manufacturing.
Nanoscale metal, metal-oxide and semiconductor layers are deposited sequentially to build complex functional architectures layer by layer, resulting in ultra-thin betavoltaic films that reportedly exceed current global performance benchmarks.
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Professor Drew Evans, who helped develop the GenX prototype and will lead the research project at Adelaide University, shared, “This is not an incremental improvement – it’s a genuine step-change. By combining novel semiconductor deposition methods with Additive Manufacturing and surface engineering, we’ve demonstrated betavoltaic devices with power densities that simply weren’t achievable using conventional approaches.”
Over the next 14 months, entX and Adelaide University will validate both the GenX device and its manufacturing process to prepare for customer evaluation.
The project will focus on transitioning critical prototype activities, including physical vapour deposition (PVD) to form high-efficiency electrical junctions, into an integrated, scalable Additive Manufacturing process at entX’s certified radiation facility in Adelaide.
Simon Marriott, Managing Director of the Additive Manufacturing CRC, commented, “This $1.8m project is a clear example of how Additive Manufacturing can take breakthrough research and make it manufacturable at scale. By supporting the transition from laboratory prototype to integrated production, AMCRC is helping Australian innovators bring world-leading technologies to market faster and with lower risk.”
Additive Manufacturing will also rapidly prototype radiation-shield encasements that ensure safe integration into space, defence and remote systems.
Professor Evans added, “It will unlock new applications across space, defence and remote systems, and establish sovereign capability in strategically important technology areas. As global demand grows for long-duration, maintenance-free power systems, GenX demonstrates how Additive Manufacturing is enabling entirely new classes of products, turning Australia’s research strengths into globally competitive manufacturing outcomes.”
www.cooperativeresearch.org.au
