Human sweat made biofuel to power wearable devices

Over the past few decades, the miniaturization of electronic devices has made enormous strides.

Today, after smartphones and many optionswireless communications, there is a special type of device, the development of which is steadily moving forward. We are talking about wearable biosensors. These tiny devices are typically designed to be worn directly on the skin to measure specific biosignals. Data from them are sent results wirelessly to smartphones or computers to track the user's health status.

The problem is that such devices are necessaryIt is difficult to constantly charge and find a suitable power source for wearable biosensors. Traditional batteries used in wristwatches and pocket calculators are too thick and bulky. Thinner batteries pose problems with capacity and even safety. But what if humans themselves were the power supplies of wearable devices?

A group of scientists led by Associate Professor IsaoShitanda, from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, is studying efficient ways to use sweat as the sole energy source for wearable electronics. In his latest study, published inJournal of Power Sources, they introduced a new array constructbiofuel cells. It uses a chemical constituent of sweat - lactate - to generate enough energy to operate the biosensor and wireless devices for a short time.

The new array of biofuel cells looks likeA paper bandage that can be worn, for example, on the arm or forearm. Basically, it consists of a water-repellent paper base on which several biofuel cells are laid out in series and in parallel. The number of cells depends on the output voltage and the required power. In each of these, an electrochemical reaction between lactate and an enzyme present in the electrodes produces an electrical current. It, in turn, moves towards a common pantograph made of conductive carbon paste.

This is not the first biofuel cell based onlactate, but some key differences set the new design apart from existing biofuel cells. In particular, the device is manufactured using screen printing. This method is suitable for cost-effective mass production.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Seiya Tsujimura of the University of Tsukuba, Dr. Tsutomu Mikawa of RIKEN, and Dr. Hiroyuki Matsui of Yamagata University, all in Japan.

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