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Portable, on-demand micropower generation is provided by developing paper-based biobatteries that can deliver on-chip energy to the next generation of point-of-care (POC) diagnosti
About
A high-performance, paper-based, bacteria-powered battery is created by building microbial fuel cells with inactive, freeze-dried exoelectrogenic bacterial cells, allowing for a long shelf life, which generates power within minutes of adding fluids. An oxygen-tight interface and engineered conductive paper reservoir achieve significant performance boost from maximized microbial electron transfer efficiency. Exoelectrogenic bacteria pre-inoculated in the paper battery is freeze-dried for long-term storage and can be readily rehydrated for on-demand power generation. Sixteen microbial fuel cells are incorporated on a single sheet of paper while all are connected in series with two electrical switches mounted on a paper circuit board, which produces more than enough electrical energy to power an on-chip, light-emitting diode.
Key Benefits
The biological fluids for on-demand battery activation are readily available even in the most resource-constrained settings and the lyophilization technology will enable long-term storage of biocatalytic cells without degradation or denaturation in those challenging environmental conditions.