Scientists develop batteries that run on sugar

Scientists develop batteries that run on sugar
HIGHLIGHTS

Scientists create sugar biobattery that is 10 times more powerful than a Lithium-ion battery.

Scientists develope sugar biobattery that completely converts the chemical energy in sugar substrates into electricity. The biobattery gives 15 times more energy and runs 10 times longer than a lithium-ion battery. The battery is more reliable and environmentally friendly as well.

This biobattery can get an energy-storage density of about 596 ampere-hours (A/h) per kg – an order of magnitude higher than the 42 A-h/kg energy density of a typical lithium-ion battery used in various gadgets.

YH Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech stated, "A sugar biobattery with such a high-energy density could last at least 10 times longer than existing lithium-ion batteries of the same weight."

The biobattery is an electro biochemical device that converts chemical energy from fuels such as glycogen and starch into electricity.

"We are the first to demonstrate the complex oxidation of the bio battery's sugar, so we achieve a near-theoretical energy conversion yield that no one else has reported," said Y H Percival Zhang, chief science officer of Cell-Free Bio Innovations (CFB) at Virginia Tech.

Recently Scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Nokia have created a new energy harvesting prototype that can be used to charge your smartphone using everyday noise like music, traffic or even your voice. The prototype energy-harvesting device is the size of a Nokia Lumia 925, and can generate up to five volts using "everyday background noise" which is sufficient to charge a mobile phone.

Also Read: Water droplets may soon be able to charge smartphones

Source: TOI

Silky Malhotra

Silky Malhotra

Silky Malhotra loves learning about new technology, gadgets, and more. When she isn’t writing, she is usually found reading, watching Netflix, gardening, travelling, or trying out new cuisines. View Full Profile

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