| Apr 12, 2023 |
|
(Nanowerk News) Last fall, Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi and his Bioelectronics and Microsystems Laboratory published their research into an ingestible biobattery activated by the Ph factor of the human intestine.
|
|
Now, he and PhD student Maryam Rezaie have taken what they learned and incorporated it into new ideas for use outside the body.
|
|
A new study in the journal Small (“Moisture-Enabled Germination of Heat-Activated Bacillus Endospores for Rapid and Practical Bioelectricity Generation: Toward Portable, Storable Bacteria-Powered Biobatteries”), shares the results from using spore-forming bacteria similar to the previous ingestible version to create a device that potentially would still work after 100 years.
|
 |
| Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi and PhD student Maryam Rezaie have created a small biobattery that works on bacteria and potentially has a 100-year shelf life. (Image: Binghamton University)
|
|
“The overall objective is to develop a microbial fuel cell that can be stored for a relatively long period without degradation of biocatalytic activity and also can be rapidly activated by absorbing moisture from the air,” said Choi, a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.
|
|
“We wanted to make these biobatteries for portable, storable and on-demand power generation capabilities,” Choi said. “The problem is, how can we provide the long-term storage of bacteria until used? And if that is possible, then how would you provide on-demand battery activation for rapid and easy power generation? And how would you improve the power?”
|
|
The dime-sized fuel cell was sealed with a piece of Kapton tape, a material that can withstand temperatures from -500 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. When the tape was removed and moisture allowed in, the bacteria mixed with a chemical germinant that encouraged the microbes to produce spores. The energy from that reaction produced enough to power an LED, a digital thermometer or a small clock.
|
|
Heat activation of the bacterial spores cut the time to full power from 1 hour to 20 minutes, and increasing the humidity led to higher electrical output. After a week of storage at room temperature, there was only a 2% drop in power generation.
|
|
The study is funded by the Office of Naval Research, and it’s easy to imagine the military applications for a power source that could be deployed on the battlefield or in remote locations. However, there would be plenty of civilian uses for such a fuel cell, too.
|
|
While these are all good results, Choi knows that a fuel cell like this needs to power up more quickly and produce more voltage to become a viable alternative to traditional batteries.
|
|
“I think this is a good start,” he said. “Hopefully, we can make a commercial product using these ideas.”
|
