Researchers produce 3D printed biodegradable fungal ‘battery’
Researchers from Empa’s Cellulose and Wood Materials laboratory develop 3D printed biodegradable fungal ‘battery’. It uses sugar to supply power to small devices like sensors for several days. After that, it degrades or digests itself from the inside. The 3D printed biodegradable battery is a mix of two types of fungi. There’s a yeast fungus on the anode side whose metabolism releases electrons. For the cathode, the researchers use white rot fungus, which produces a special enzyme. It allows the electrons to be captured and conducted out of the cell.
The Empa researchers say that strictly speaking, the invention is not a battery. It’s more of a microbial fuel cell because it converts nutrients,…