PENNSYLVANIA - edible biodegradable battery

A biodegradable battery made of cuttlefish has been recently produced by Carnage Mellon University and it represents a breakthrough in the field of sustainable energy.


This ecological battery will be edible as well, because of the pigment of the cuttlefish. This innovation has been introduced by the biomedical engineer Christopher Bettinger from Carnage Mellon University.(Pittsburgh).


Melanin from the cuttlefish served as the anode in the study’s aqueous sodium-ion battery, and manganese dioxide served as the cathode. Manganese dioxide is commonly eaten, though, like salt, it shouldn’t be overdone. It’s safe to eat up to a battery a day, according to Bettinger.


While the sophistication of implants [such as biosensors, controlled release systems, and tissue stimulation devices] has increased over recent years, there are many persistent challenges that may limit the prospective impact of permanent implantable device-based therapies. These include risk of infection, chronic inflammation, and costly surgical procedures,” Bettinger told Singularity Hub in an email interview.


In addition to notifying doctors that pills have been taken, smart pills can make it possible for patients to take certain medications orally which must currently be injected because they’re destroyed by stomach acid. Common treatments for osteoporosis and arthritis, for instance, must be injected. A smart device can protect the medication until it has passed through the stomach and release it in the intestine.


This new edible battery is still a prototype and it hasn’t got the same performances of the lithium-ion batteries, but the research is just beginning.