Battery Inserted in Body
South Korean researchers succeeded in developing a bio-implantable battery that can provide energy storage using the natural ions of body fluids, such as blood and lymph, and can be used semi-permanently without exterior materials.
The research team led by Professor Roh Kwang-chul of the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology and Professor Huh Yun-suk of Inha University developed a semi-permanent bio-implantable energy storage device that is capable of operating in the natural ions of body fluids as electrolytes, including natrium, calcium, chlorite ions. The experiment conducted on mice proved that it is non-toxic and biocompatible as well as stable charging and discharging.
As the population is aging and more and more people are suffering from chronic diseases, interest in bio-implantable medical devices that can support and monitor human organs, such as pacemakers, implantable cardiac impulse monitor devices and spinal nerve stimulators, is rising.
The latest study sponsored by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the National Research Foundation of Korea as part of basic research projects was published in in the journal Nano Energy on February 13.