While batteries are not the first thing you’ll find on any respectable menu, there are instances in which people ingest them, like in ingestible medical devices. But what if those batteries were made entirely from edible products?
A research team at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) has developed a prototype battery made entirely from edible materials. The anode is riboflavin, or vitamin B2, and the cathode is quercetin, found in a variety of foods. There is a water-based electrolyte, a separator made of nori seaweed and two food-grade gold foil contacts. At 0.65 volts, the battery isn’t very powerful, only capable of delivering a few microamps over an hour or ramping it up to a 48-microapere current for 12 minutes.
The next step is to increase the battery’s capacity while reducing its size. “Future potential uses range from edible circuits and sensors that can monitor health conditions to the powering of sensors for monitoring food storage conditions,” said Mario Caironi, senior researcher and leader of the study. “Moreover, given the level of safety of these batteries, they could be used in children toys, where there is a high risk of ingestion.”
