MIT Researchers Develop Digestible Paper-Based Battery for Ingestible Medical Devices
Researchers have created an innovative, digestible battery made from paper to energize medical devices within the human body, as reported in Nature Chemical Engineering on September 21. This battery, tested in pigs, incorporates magnesium and molybdenum electrodes, a biodegradable liquid salt electrolyte, and cellulose fibers, drawing inspiration from rice-paper candy wrappers. To slow down its breakdown, natural waxes envelop the battery. Giovanni Traverso, a co-author from MIT, emphasized the wax's importance in managing the battery's longevity. Two variants were developed, each lasting approximately three days in gastric fluid and fully degrading within months. These batteries successfully powered an RFID tag and a capsule that increased ghrelin levels by 50%. Experts have lauded the study for its promise in transient electronic devices.
Key facts
- Digestible paper-based batteries developed by MIT researchers can power medical devices inside the body and then break down
- The technology was described in Nature Chemical Engineering on September 21 and tested only in pigs
- The battery contains magnesium and molybdenum electrodes, a biodegradable liquid salt electrolyte, and cellulose fibers binding the cathode
- Natural waxes encase the battery to prevent premature degradation in the stomach
- The battery functions normally in the stomach for about three days and completely degrades within a few months
- An RFID tag transmitted data from a pig's stomach to an external reader about five feet away
- A capsule producing electrical current raised ghrelin levels by about 50 percent after 20 minutes of stomach tissue stimulation
- Giovanni Traverso is a mechanical engineer at MIT and gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Entities
Artists
- Giovanni Traverso
- Micaela Matta
- Yin Lan
- Sara Hashemi
Institutions
- MIT
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Nature Chemical Engineering
- Nature
- Live Science
- King's College London
- Financial Times
- Tsinghua University
- Smithsonian Magazine
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- China
- London
- United Kingdom