Custom experimental setup used to characterize 30 glucose fuel cells in rapid sequence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThis latest technology aims to obtain power from our own bodies, and specifically from the glucose in our blood, avoiding the need for batteries, wires, or external chargers. \u201cGlucose is everywhere in the body, and the idea is to harvest this readily available energy and use it to power implantable devices,\u201d said Philipp Simons, a researcher involved in the study. \u201cIn our work we show a new glucose fuel cell electrochemistry.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
The new devices are incredibly thin at 400 nanometers, which is approximately 1\/100th the diameter of a human hair. Interestingly, the fuel cells are also highly temperature resistant, and can withstand up to 600 degrees Celsius without being damaged, allowing them to be sterilized using heat before implantation.<\/p>\n
The electrolyte within the new fuels cells is ceramic and is made using a material called ceria, which has the advantages of mechanical stability, biocompatibility, and ion conductivity, and it is already widely used in hydrogen fuel cells. \u201cCeria is actively studied in the cancer research community,\u201d said Simons. \u201cIt\u2019s also similar to zirconia, which is used in tooth implants, and is biocompatible and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Study in Advanced Materials<\/em>: A Ceramic-Electrolyte Glucose Fuel Cell for Implantable Electronics<\/p>\nVia: MIT<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n