Scientists have developed a
self-destructing battery capable of dissolving when exposed to heat or liquid.
It delivers 2.5 volts and can power a
desktop calculator for 15 minutes.
It could power medical devices in
patients' bodies before degrading, or keep military secrets confidential.
Iowa State University mechanical
engineering professor Reza Montazami said it was the first practical transient
battery.
Researchers have been examining how
batteries could dissolve harmlessly within the human body, and prevent the pain
of removal, for several years.
Prof Montazami developed the
lithium-ion battery with a team of scientists who recently
published details of their discovery in the Journal of Polymer
Science, Part B: Polymer Physics.
It measures 5mm in length, is 1mm
thick and 6mm wide, and is similar to commercial batteries in terms of its
components, structure and electrochemical reactions.
How it works
It contains an anode, cathode and an
electrolyte separator within two layers of polyvinyl alcohol-based polymer.
When dropped in water, the battery's
polymer casing swells and the electrodes are broken apart, causing it to
dissolve. However, it contains nanoparticles which do not degrade, meaning it
does not dissolve entirely.
The entire process takes around half
an hour.
"Unlike conventional electronics
that are designed to last for extensive periods of time, a key and unique
attribute of transient electronics is to operate over a typically short and
well-defined period, and undergo fast and, ideally, complete
self-deconstruction and vanish when transiency is triggered," the
scientific paper stated.
While it would be possible to create
a more powerful battery, it would take longer to break down.
Saving the planet?
Dissolvable batteries could play a
part in helping to reduce the waste caused by discarded electronics.
Researchers at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are working on electronic circuit boards
capable of dissolving in water.
Once in a landfill site, the boards
could break down within three to six months, according to the University's prof
John Rogers.
Source/Reference:by http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37021474
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