Self-Destructing Battery Could Power Transient Medical Devices

A self-destructing lithium-ion battery capable of delivering 2.5 volts of energy dissipates in 30 minutes when dropped in water, claims a new study.

Developed by researchers at Iowa State University (Ames, USA) and the Ames Laboratory (IA, USA), the transient battery is about 1X5X6 millimeters, and is made up of eight layers of a degradable polymer composite, which include an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte separator, wrapped up in two layers of a polyvinyl alcohol-based polymer. The batteries are based on Lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology, taking advantage of a close variation of the active materials used in conventional Li-ion batteries, and can achieve and maintain a potential of 2.5 Volts.

When dropped into water, the polymer casing swells, breaking apart the two electrodes and dissolving away. The battery also contains insoluble nanoparticles that do not degrade, but disperse as the casing breaks apart, with dissolution of the soluble components in approximately 30 minutes. According to the researchers, fabricating electrodes with higher area density, or connecting several battery cells in parallel could significantly improve battery performance for higher power consuming applications, but at the price of a longer time to deconstruct.

At the moment, a single battery cell is capable to supply enough power to power a basic calculator for a short period of time. More advanced fabrication techniques could also improve the overall efficiency and performance of the battery cells, while transiency rate could be controlled via optimization of the nano/microstructure of electrodes and substrate. The study describing the new transient power technology was published on June 22, 2106, in the Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics.

“Unlike conventional electronics that are designed to last for extensive periods of time, a key and unique attribute of transient electronics is to operate over a typically short and well-defined period, and undergo fast and, ideally, complete self-deconstruction and vanish when transiency is triggered,” concluded lead author assistant professor of mechanical engineering Reza Montazami, PhD, of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory. “The presented proof of concept has paramount potentials in military and hardware security applications.”

Transient electronics have a wide range of potential applications including those in healthcare, biomedical devices, environmental sensing/monitoring, green electronics, and military and homeland security.

Related Links:
Iowa State University
Ames Laboratory