Textile bio-batteries can provide kinetic energy for future wearable electronics

Researchers at Binghamton University have developed a textile bio-battery that can serve as the basis for future wearable electronics. Researchers led by Seokheun Choi, an assistant professor of electrical and computer science at Binghamton University, have developed flexible batteries that are said to produce more power than their previous paper-based microbial fuel cells.

Fabric-based batteries have a stable power generation capability even after repeated torsion and stretching cycles. Microbial fuel cells are considered by some to be the best source of power for wearable devices because microbial cells can act as biocatalysts, providing a stable enzymatic reaction and a long service life. Even sweat from the human body can be used as a potential fuel to support bacterial vitality.

Choi said that there is a clear and urgent need for flexible and scalable electronic devices in the future, as it can be easily integrated with a wide variety of environments to collect real-time information. He added that such electronic devices must be reliably carried out even when used on substrates with complex curved shapes.

The development of wearable devices is still in its infancy, but it is easy to see how beneficial this type of battery is. For example, the Levi's CommuterTrucker smart jacket uses a detachable "snap" to drive the advanced features of the jacket. Imagine how good such a wearable device would be if it was woven directly into the garment.

The paper, "Flexible and Stretchable BioBatteries: Monolithic Integration of Membrane-Free Microbial Fuel Cells in a Single Textile Layer," was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.