By
Andy Boxall
Published 37 minutes ago
Andy is a seasoned technology journalist with more than 15 years experience in the mobile industry, writing for Digital Trends, Wired, and more. During that time he has reviewed hundreds of smartphones and tablets, dozens of smartwatches, and a host of smart rings and smartglasses too.
His daily mobile tech life includes Android and iOS devices, smart rings, and a smartwatch unless it's a special ocassion, when a traditional watch takes its place on his wrist. He has attended multiple CES, MWC, and IFA tradeshows, has a passion for photography and cars, listens to far too much K-pop, and always has a strong opinion on the state of the tech industry.
You can find Andy's portfolio of work on his Authory page.
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An innovative solution to creating more environmentally friendly batteries has been demonstrated by a team of researchers at McGill University in Canada, and the breakthrough came after some inspiration from a popular kids' science experiment.
Magnesium batteries
We’re used to hearing about batteries with electrodes made from materials including lithium and silicon, but these can be difficult to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way at the end of their life.
Batteries which use magnesium and molybdenum as electrodes are more biodegradable, but previous research into the cells showed they don’t provide as much power as conventional batteries.
McGill University doctoral student Junzhi Liu explained why this happens:
Magnesium can generate a layer that stops the reaction between electrolyte and electrode
Which is when Sharmistha Bhadra, associate professor of electrical and computing engineering at McGill University, who was in charge of a project to make a bio-degradable and stretchable battery, had an idea that may solve this problem.
Lemons to the rescue
Many people make a lemon battery as kids, where you connect a copper wire to a light. The lemon has enough ions to conduct electricity. I suggested Junzhi look at citric acid.
It turned out this unusual inspiration would turn into a breakthrough, as Liu said:
We found we could break down [the layer created by the magnesium] with citric or lactic acid and increase the battery’s lifetime and its voltage.
Next, these acids were added to gelatin to make it possible to stretch the battery. The concept battery was designed with wearable technology in mind, such as for health monitoring devices, motion trackers, or pressure sensors with haptic feedback used in VR systems.
The stretchable battery was integrated into a touch-sensitive sensor worn on a finger, where it produced 1.3 volts at up to 80% of its maximum stretch, without losing performance. This is slightly less than a regular 1.5 volt battery cell.
Biodegradable breakthrough
In a further experiment, the magnesium electrode and electrolyte had fully degraded after 58 days. The molybdenum electrode needed a little longer to degrade. The research paper concludes:
The battery will have potential for stretchable wearable applications and contribute to the reduction of e-waste.
Having made the breakthrough, the team is now looking for partners to help improve the battery’s performance, integrate it with biodegradable circuits, and miniaturize it for use in implants.
It follows other interesting research into batteries for wearable tech, including stacked cells for use in smart rings, and batteries which use body heat to generate energy.
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