Mission: Impossible-inspired battery self-destructs

In Mission: Impossible, the protagonist, Tom Cruise, gets instructions for fictional gadgets that erase data or self-destruct so that information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Scientists from Binghamton University are bringing this idea closer to reality.

Scientists at Binghamton University are working on biodegradable electronics. They’re looking for ways to use probiotics-friendly bacteria – something you can find in your yogurt – to generate electricity. One option is paper batteries that dissolve in acidic environments.

"Transient electronics can be used for biomedical and environmental applications, but they must disintegrate in a biosafe manner," said Binghamton University professor Seokheun "Sean" Choi.

The key challenge has been finding a power source for bioresorbable or transient electronics (devices that dissolve in a human body in a controlled manner). However, most power batteries, like lithium ones, contain toxic materials.

Choi's research team recently published a paper in the journal Small, showing the potential use of probiotics to power the devices.

"We used well-known electricity-producing bacteria, which is within biosafety level 1, so it is safe,” Choi said.

After multiple attempts, scientists succeeded in yielding the results they anticipated. While the amount of electricity generated wasn’t enough to power the devices, they’re hopeful. Choi views the experiments as proof of concept and an excellent basis for students and researchers to build on.

"Other research must be done," he said.

"We used probiotic blends, but I want to study individually which ones have the extra electric genes, and how synergistic interactions can improve the power generation. Also, in this research, we developed in a single unit of a biobattery. I want to contact them in series or parallel to improve the power."