Researchers have developed a thin, swallowable paper battery that can power medical devices inside the body for several days before gradually dissolving.
Initial trials of the battery in pigs have been successful, opening the door for its future use in temporary medical devices that operate inside the digestive system, without the need for surgery to remove the battery after it has served its purpose.
Swallowable medical devices face a challenge in the form of the size of traditional batteries, which occupy a large part of the device's space, as well as the need to seal them tightly to prevent their components from leaking into the tissues.
The new battery consists of thin layers including a magnesium alloy as the negative electrode, molybdenum trioxide and activated carbon as the positive electrode, and a biodegradable electrolyte. Researchers used cellulose nanofibers to create a porous, paper-like structure and coated the battery with a layer of beeswax to slow its degradation within the acidic environment of the digestive system.
Giovanni Traverso, a participant in the study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said that the paper design enhances the battery's durability and allows for better control over its rate of degradation, while the wax layer plays a key role in determining its operating time.
The team developed two battery models: the smaller model produced a voltage of about 1.77 volts, with the ability to store and provide energy at a rate of 2 milliampere-hours per square centimeter, while the larger model produced a voltage of about 1.84 volts, with a maximum capacity of 3.5 milliampere-hours.
The researchers tested the two batteries inside pigs' bodies, where they were able to power medical devices for up to three days, with the voltage gradually decreasing as the battery degraded
The smaller battery powered a wireless chip with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which the researchers used to monitor the pigs' ingestion of the drug. The larger battery powered a capsule that electrically stimulated the stomach, leading to increased levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, without any visible tissue damage.
John Rogers, a materials scientist and pioneer in bioelectronics at Northwestern University, who was not involved in the study, said the battery's ability to function stably while passing through the digestive system of a large animal is a remarkable result.
The experiments showed that the battery and its biodegradable components decomposed, but the electronic circuit board used in the gastric stimulation experiment did not decompose and was excreted by the pigs normally.
The technology is still in its early stages, as researchers work to improve the manufacturing process, control battery life, and make its degradation more predictable. The team also plans to conduct longer tests in conditions that mimic the human digestive system, with the aim of potentially starting an initial clinical trial of the RFID system in about two years.
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