{"id":89319,"date":"2021-06-14T07:39:36","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T05:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.bio-based.eu\/?p=89319"},"modified":"2021-06-16T01:52:39","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T23:52:39","slug":"the-biodegradable-battery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/the-biodegradable-battery\/","title":{"rendered":"The biodegradable battery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The number of data-transmitting microdevices, for instance in packaging and transport logistics, will increase sharply in the coming years. All these devices need energy, but the amount of batteries would have a major impact on the environment. Empa researchers have developed a biodegradable mini-capacitor that can solve the problem. It consists of carbon, cellulose, glycerin and table salt. And it works reliably.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Xavier Aeby and Gustav Nystr\u00f6m invented a fully printed biodegradable battery made from cellulose and other non-toxic components. Image: Gian Vaitl \/ Empa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fabrication device for the battery revolution looks quite unconspicuous: It is a modified, commercially available 3D printer, located in a room in the Empa laboratory building. But the real innovation lies within the recipe for the gelatinous inks this printer can dispense onto a surface. The mixture in question consists of cellulose nanofibers and cellulose nanocrystallites, plus carbon in the form of carbon black, graphite and activated carbon. To liquefy all this, the researchers use glycerin, water and two different types of alcohol. Plus a pinch of table salt for ionic conductivity.<\/p>\n

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The biodegradable battery consists of four layers, all flowing out of a 3D printer one after the other. The whole thing is then folded up like a sandwich, with the electrolyte in the center. Image: Gian Vaitl \/ Empa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A sandwich of four layers<\/h3>\n

To build a functioning supercapacitor from these ingredients, four layers are needed, all flowing out of the 3D printer one after the other: a flexible substrate, a conductive layer, the electrode and finally the electrolyte. The whole thing is then folded up like a sandwich, with the electrolyte in the center.<\/p>\n

What emerges is an ecological miracle. The mini-capacitor from the lab can store electricity for hours and can already power a small digital clock. It can withstand thousands of charge and discharge cycles and years of storage, even in freezing temperatures, and is resistant to pressure and shock.<\/p>\n

Biodegradable power supply<\/h3>\n

Best of all, though, when you no longer need it, you could toss it in the compost or simply leave it in nature. After two months, the capacitor will have disintegrated, leaving only a few visible carbon particles. The researchers have already tried this, too.<\/p>\n

“It sounds quite simple, but it wasn’t at all,” says Xavier Aeby of Empa’s Cellulose & Wood Materials lab. It took an extended series of tests until all the parameters were right, until all the components flowed reliably from the printer and the capacitor worked. Says Aeby: “As researchers, we don’t want to just fiddle about, we also want to understand what’s happening inside our materials.”<\/p>\n

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