You Can Swallow This Fully-Rechargeable Edible Battery Once You’re Done With It
By Mikelle Leow, 19 Apr 2023
This battery is truly food for fuel. Invented by researchers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), it’s not only fully rechargeable but also entirely edible, having been crafted from ingredients drawn from everyday diets.
The edible battery, which the team touts to be the first of its kind, dissolves in the stomach after it’s done its job, ScienceAlert reports. The scientists have outlined its makeup and output in a new paper published in the Advanced Materials journal.
It’s composed of the vitamin riboflavin for its anode (AKA the negative end), and a supplement called quercetin for the cathode (the positive charge). The battery’s power is generated from electrolytes in a water-based solution, while the separator—which creates a safety barrier between the anode and cathode—is made from nori, or the seaweed served at sushi restaurants.
To boost conductivity, the inventors added activated charcoal to the mix. The electrodes are encased in beeswax, which is connected to food-grade gold, to transmit electricity to another device.
Molecular gastronomy chefs will still need to recalibrate instead of copying this recipe if they want to concoct yummy edible batteries themselves, because those ingredients put together don’t sound great. It’s also why the scientists never once considered calling the battery ‘Buttery’.
The edible device runs at just 0.65 volts, low enough for it to be safely ingested in the human body, and yields a current of 48 micro-amperes for 12 minutes, making it suitable for smaller electronics like low-power LEDs.
Most notably, the battery can make health diagnostics, in which cameras have to be inserted in the body, less invasive and uncomfortable, since it dissolves readily.
The edible cell must be recharged outside the body. However, it can be reused dozens of times.
“Future potential uses range from edible circuits and sensors that can monitor health conditions to the powering of sensors for monitoring food storage conditions,” elaborates Mario Caironi, a molecular electronics researcher at the IIT and a senior author of the study.
The battery could also power children’s toys, since it won’t be a choking or health hazard.
The existing prototype measures about 0.155 square inches, but the team is also exploring smaller-sized versions that offer greater capacity.
Apart from being used in health examinations, the battery might also benefit food quality assurance, serving as a potential monitoring device to be digested by testers along with foodstuffs.
For now, the battery remains off the menu in the outside world. The scientists see it as a proof of concept that batteries can be built from safer materials.
They hope others can look to the project to eventually develop sustainable energy sources that could power even bigger things, like electric cars.
[via ScienceAlert and Innovation Origins, images via various sources]