In response to Binghamton College‘s Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi, engineering breakthroughs usually demand trial and error, however sometimes the answer is nearer than anticipated – even downstairs. Over the previous decade, Choi has developed bacteria-powered biobatteries, however progress has been constrained by materials limitations.
Whereas searching for a customized stainless-steel element, Choi found that Assistant Professor Dehao Liu – only a ground beneath – focuses on laser powder mattress fusion (LPBF), a way ideally suited for printing stainless-steel microarchitectures. “LPBF is right for biobatteries as a result of it allows high-precision, customizable 3D buildings with advanced geometries, important for maximizing floor space and power density,” Liu stated.
Their collaboration, revealed in Superior Vitality & Sustainability Analysis, describes biobatteries designed to energy small, autonomous units like IoT sensors. Different contributors embody ECE Assistant Professor Anwar Elhadad, PhD pupil Yang “Lexi” Gao, and Liu’s PhD college students Guangfa Li and Jiaqi Yang. The mission is funded by Choi’s 2024 NSF grant.
Endospores, a dormant type of micro organism, gasoline the biobattery by an electrochemical response. For optimum efficiency, the anode (the place micro organism stay) should be 3D so the microbes can thrive. “A two-dimensional anode isn’t environment friendly,” Choi stated.
Stainless-steel mesh proved higher than carbon or polymer-based supplies, that are fragile and poor conductors. However business mesh lacks management over porosity and roughness. LPBF solved that. “We noticed the potential right here,” Choi stated. Utilizing 3D printing, in addition they fabricated parts just like the sealing cowl and cathode, assembling the battery “like Lego bricks.”
The batteries might be stacked to spice up energy, reaching practically 1 milliwatt – sufficient to run a 3.2-inch LCD. It’s one in every of Choi’s highest-yielding designs. Plus, chrome steel permits for micro organism reuse: “We confirmed after a lot of makes use of that energy ranges are maintained.”
The Binghamton group’s subsequent steps: unify the printing of all parts and develop an influence administration system to optimize charging and discharging – like a photo voltaic cell.
