Bio batteries made with bacteria have a lifetime of up to 100 years

Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi of Binghamton University in the US gave a presentation last month after surprising the scientific community in January with a battery activated by bacteria to generate electricity and then swallowed by patients. a new “microbial fuel cell (MFC)” model.

Study published last month in the journal SmallSpecializing in nanotechnology, he explains how the use of spore-forming bacteria works—similar to the ingestible version—but with two differences: the potential to be incorporated into applications outside the body and lasting up to 100 years.

According to Professor Choi, who led the research, the overall goal was to develop an MFC that “can be stored for a relatively long time without degradation in biocatalytic activity and can be activated rapidly by absorbing moisture from the air.” How are bacteria stored? How to activate the battery? And finally, how to increase its capacity?

How does the new microbial fuel cell work?

To meet the challenge of “designing these biopiles for portable, storable, on-demand power generation capabilities,” scientists have developed a $0.10 coin-sized (17.9mm diameter) fuel cell sealed with a Kapton insulating tape. Supporting temperatures from -296 to 400ºC.

When the researchers removed the tape, releasing contact with moisture in the air, the bacteria mingled with a chemical microbe that stimulated the microbes to produce spores. The biochemical reaction provided sufficient energy to power an LED, a digital thermometer or even a small clock.

Although MFC activation through spores reduced the total duration of action from one hour to 20 minutes, electrical output increased with humidity. The good news is that After one week of storage at room temperature, the reduction in power generation was only 2%.