A tiny lithium battery has been developed for a whole range of biological applications. The battery assembly is contained in a drop of water. It can be used in systems for stimulating the heart muscle, delivering drugs and feeding medical nanorobots. The battery has been tested on mice and will one day be used to treat humans.
At the heart of the ultra-tiny lithium battery is a biohydrogel. Addition of surface-active substances to the solution forms a kind of garland from drops of biohydrogel. Some drops perform the function of a separator (separator), as in large batteries, separating the cathode and anode, and other drops contain ions of lithium salts, which, when creating a chain, begin to move from one drop to another, creating a current and a potential difference at the opposite ends « ;garlands ».
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The volume of each drop is only 10 nL (nanoliters). All components of such a battery are biodegradable and biocompatible. This was confirmed by experiments on mice in whose heart tissue such a battery was placed. In this case, the device prevents cardiac arrhythmia caused by chaotic (painful) heart muscle contractions. The use of such a device, which requires minimal surgical intervention for implantation into the heart tissue, will allow people to preserve their health and life, because cardiac arrhythmias – one of the most frequent causes of death.
According to scientists from the University of Oxford, who invented the "drop battery" and filed for a patent, such a battery could also deliver medicine and serve as a rechargeable power source for nanorobots.