PublishedJuly 29, 2022, 10:40 PM
For devices requiring a small amount of energy, a simple battery, activated by water, could replace the other types of battery.
A team of researchers from Empa (Swiss Materials Testing Laboratory) has developed a water-activated disposable paper battery. According to the researchers, it could be used to power a wide range of low-power, single-use disposable electronic devices — such as smart tags for object tracking, environmental sensors and medical diagnostic devices — and minimize their environmental impact. The proof-of-concept study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
To demonstrate their battery’s ability to run low-powered electronics, Gustav Nyström’s team combined two cells into a single battery to increase the operating voltage and used it to power an alarm clock with a LCD screen. liquid crystals. Analysis of the performance of a single-cell battery revealed that after adding two drops of water, the battery activated in 20 seconds and, when not connected to a water-consuming device, energy, it reached a stable voltage of 1.2 volts. The voltage of a standard AA alkaline battery is 1.5 volts. If the principle is demonstrated, developments are still necessary for this technology to be widely used.