Researchers have shown that a battery activated by spit has the potential to power point-of-care diagnostic applications in extreme conditions.In a paper published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, the researchers described how they created a high-performance, paper-based, bacteria-powered battery which generates power within minutes of adding saliva.<\/p>\n
They created the battery by building microbial fuel cells with inactive, freeze-dried exoelectrogenic cells.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn-demand micro-power generation is required, especially for point-of-care diagnostic applications in developing countries,\u201d said Seokheun Choi, Assistant Professor, Binghamton University, State University of New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically, those applications require only several tens of microwatt-level power for several minutes, but commercial batteries or other energy harvesting technologies are too expensive and over-qualified. Also, they pose environmental pollution issues,\u201d Choi added.<\/p>\n
The battery generated reliable power with one drop of saliva, supplying on-board power that could be used by the next generation of disposable, paper-based point-of-care diagnostic platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proposed battery has competitive advantages over other conventional power solutions because the biological fluid for on-demand battery activation is readily available even in the most resource-constrained settings, and the freeze-drying technology enables long-term storage of cells without degradation or denaturation,\u201d wrote the researchers.<\/p>\n
Choi now wants to improve the batter\u2019s power density so that more applications can be powered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, our power density is about a few microwatts per centimetre square. Although 16 microbial fuel cells connected in a series on a single sheet of paper generated desired values of electrical current and voltage to power a light-emitting diode (LED), further power improvement is required for other electronic applications demanding hundreds of milliwatts of energy,\u201d Choi said.<\/p>\n
IANS<\/p>\n
Picture courtesy: Alamy Image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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