Scientists have learned how to extract electricity from the human body: this opens up incredible possibilities

The idea of ​​a fuel cell that converts glucose into electricity is not new. However, scientists are still looking for a way to implement this idea. In one of the latest works, scientists managed to demonstrate a fuel cell that can power sensors on the body, implants and the like. Voice of America.

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Scientists have made it based on the material silicon, which is used in semiconductor manufacturing to create microprocessors. It also has a ceramic layer, on both sides of which platinum is placed. It acts as a catalyst in the conversion of glucose and oxygen. Platinum is also an electrical conductor, allowing electricity to be delivered to an external device.

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The problem of finding the right material to create a device was one of the main ones. The ceramic layer was the solution that made it possible to implement the project.

Ceramics was used for the first time. This made it possible to make the device smaller in size. It can also be easily integrated into electronics. In addition, ceramics are incredibly resistant to high temperatures. This means that the problem of sterilization is still being solved. This is important because all implants must be sterilized before being placed in the body so as not to harm it. The temperature at which the operation of the fuel cell was tested ranged from 300-600 degrees C. Theoretically, ceramics can withstand a much greater thermal load. But the limitation arose in connection with the use of platinum as a catalyst. But still, this is much higher than the temperature at which implants are sterilized with steam. It is 120-140 C.

Another key quality of the design is its small size. The thickness of the device is only about 900 nanometers, and the width is about 200 by 200 microns, according to Jennifer Rupp, a researcher at Tu Munich. “So it’s incredibly small. And that’s a good thing, because the last thing we want is to use something massive—a whole bank of batteries in the human body,” she says.

The amount of energy a device can obtain from glucose is relatively small. It is 43 microwatts per square centimeter. If we talk about implantable sensors that monitor the physiological parameters of the body, they consume from a few microwatts to several hundred microwatts. So scientists have achieved the required performance.

“The point is that we don’t need a whole power plant like we do for a city. We need a little energy, but it is produced continuously. Depending on the type of device that needs to be powered, the elements can be combined for greater performance,” added Rupp.

Although to maintain the operation of conventional sensors, according to the researchers, one element is enough.

The operating time of the device can potentially be very long. Scientists tested it for three to four days. But the important thing is that glucose is available all the time - while we eat, it enters the body. This is an inexhaustible source of energy.

In the future, researchers will only need to make sure that the fuel cell does not break down or breaks down, but slowly.

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It is noteworthy that in the process of research, scientists worked with the idea of ​​a specific application of their micro power plant. In particular, they thought of it as part of an implantable device that needed a constant power source. Especially those devices that are placed in places of concentration of soft tissues. As, for example, in the brain or the upper parts of the human body.

Before the appearance on the market, according to the authors of the work, it will take at least five years.

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