There are more and more devices that allow monitoring of people’s health in real time. Most act from outside, although some tend to be implanted. But, small as it is, to get them into the body requires surgery. It would be ideal to create devices that can be eaten and, in fact, it is something that has been studied for a long time. It’s about the edible electronics.
These are electronic devices that can be broken down and digested, once they have carried out their function. Logically, they must be built with non-toxic materials. Materials normally used in electronics, such as silicon, magnesium and copperare safe at about such low doses that there wouldn’t be enough to run a device. For this reason, edible electronics is based above all on food-derived materials.
In that aspect, batteries are a big challenge. But luckily, a team of scientists from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) has managed to build one in which all its components could be found in a cooking recipe.
This is the stack that can be eaten
A battery works thanks to a electron stream, which flow from an electrode where they are released, called the anode, to another that captures them, known as the cathode. That is, there is a reaction oxidation-reduction, in which one substance is oxidized, losing electrons, and another is reduced, gaining them. This type of reaction is very common in food, so the authors of the study that has been published in Advanced Materials They decided to start studying this type of process.
Thus, they found what would be its anode and its cathode. The first is made from vitamin B2which can be obtained from the almonds. As for the cathode, the chosen substance is the quercetinwhich is located in the capers.
On the other hand, batteries must have an electrolyte through which these electrons circulate, to get from one side to the other. In this case, use waterbut also added activated carbon to increase electrical conductivity. It is sold in some places as an over-the-counter drug and is present in many supposed detox products. It should be noted that these products are usually a scam, since a diet is not necessary to detoxify, and also that it is not good to abuse activated charcoal. However, in the doses added to this stack for edible electronics, there is no problem.
Finally, as a separator to avoid short circuits, we add nori seaweed, the same that is used to make sushi. All this is encapsulated in Bee wax and, towards the outside, two contacts are placed, like those of the batteries. In this case, made of food grade goldlike the one used in confectionery.
What is edible electronics for?
Edible electronics can be very useful for performing diagnosis of digestive diseases in a way little invasive. The patient eats the sensor, it makes the appropriate measurements and is then digested. can also be used for introduce medication in the body and release them in very specific places. Or even for monitor food quality. Since it is perfectly edible, the sensor can then be left in the product no problem.
Now that a battery exists to power these edible electronics, it would be much easier to manage them. But that is not all.
The authors of this new study believe that their battery could be used, for example, in making toys. Accidental swallowing of batteries is very dangerous. Many children can even die from it. Therefore, if the batteries, with extremely toxic components, are completely edible, this serious problem would be eliminated.
In addition, although this battery would not be used to power large electrical devices, such as cars, it could inspire the manufacture of new batteries with more sustainable materials in the future. How much less lithium, better. And if it is eaten, we all win.