A research team at Binghamton University, led by Professor Seokheun Choi, has developed a battery that dissolves safely in low pH environments. They published their findings in the journal Small.
The dissolvable, probiotic-powered biobattery is designed to disintegrate safely in the human body. Research published by Rezaie et al. (2025), Small.
About the battery
The battery is powered by a 15-strain probiotic blend, which is harmless to humans and the environment. It is constructed with biodegradable materials on a water-soluble paper substrate, allowing it to dissolve harmlessly when exposed to water. As the battery dissolves, probiotics are released from protective layers. The probiotics then metabolize available substrates to produce electricity. In the paper’s abstract, the authors say the battery can deliver power for “4 minutes up to more than 100 minutes” depending on geometry and coating. The battery is coated in a pH-sensitive membrane, allowing for activation in acidic environments such as the human stomach.
This is the first use of probiotics for power generation. The battery can last from 4 to 100 minutes, depending on the manipulation of the pH-sensitive polymer or device length. A single battery outputs 4 microwatts of power.
The battery can eliminate the need for retrieval in biomedical applications as it is bioresorbable. This can be particularly useful in treatments that require continuous monitoring for a short period, such as chemotherapy, post-surgery sepsis, acute trauma therapy, and disease biomarker detection.
The dissolvable paper is first coated with the pH-sensitive polymer, then the device components are added. An additional layer of polymer can be added to extend the operation time.
Without the polymer, the device lasts about 15 minutes in water. With one layer of the polymer, its lifetime extends to 75 minutes. An additional layer of polymer increases the operational time to over 100 minutes. However, the diffusion barriers caused by this extra layer diminish the performance of the battery slightly.
Professor Choi and research team
This probiotic battery was created and studied by Professor Seokheun Choi and a research team of students at Binghamton University.
The battery was originally developed by Maedeg Mohammadifar when she was a student at Binghamton University. The latest research was led by PhD student Maryam Rezaie.
Other bioresorbable batteries
A team at The Center for Microelectronics in Provence, Gardanne, France, has developed a bioresorbable Na-ion battery. The operating time and disintegration time can both be controlled by manipulating the thickness of the encapsulation layer. This battery can also be wirelessly recharged through the skin.
At Fudan University in Shanghai, a research team developed a biocompatible battery with biodegradable fiber conductors that can be directly injected into the body. The battery was demonstrated to power biosensors in the body effectively.
