Editorial
The project management is responsible for the content of the information provided.
Cooperation
This project is one of the seven winners of the call 2019 «Microbials – Direct Use of Micro-Organisms». Project partners: Bio-engineered Wood group and the Cellulose Biohybrids group from the Cellulose & Wood Materials laboratory at Empa.
Project data
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Project no: GRS-081/19
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Amount of funding: CHF 300'000
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Approved: 30.10.2019
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Duration: 04.2020 - 03.2023
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Area of activity:
Microbials, seit 2016
Project management
Abstract
The development of green, low-cost and disposable micro power sources that can be self-sustainable are highly needed in the field of biobatteries, ingestible medical devices, wearable sensors, and smart textiles. Moreover, the improvement of small-scale devices that can be globally used to temporarily collect real-time information from the environment are highly required. To achieve a fully biodegradable battery we will develop water-based inks composed of cellulose and cellulose derivatives. For this purpose, two generations of biobatteries using fungi as oxidation catalyst will be manufactured; (i) The first generation will target short single use operation and will stop working when the provided source of nutrients is depleted by the fungus. (ii) The second generation will have an extended lifetime owing to the combination of fungi and microalgae working in symbiosis - the microalgae will provide the carbon source for the fungus and the fungus will provide the mineral nutrients for the microalgae - to ensure extended operation for continuous sensing functionality. This generation of biobattery will continuously operate until it is decomposed into its surroundings. The biobattery will be made of a continuous nanocellulose sheet that the user will assemble in a simple two-step folding process, and activated by providing a small volume (~1 mL) of water to the dormant microorganisms. The objective is that the results of this project leads to an Empa spin-off company that aims to bring the developed fungal biobatteries to the market.
What is special about the project?
This project aims at solving the key challenge to develop a reliable technology that can autonomously and efficiently provide stable electrical supply even in resource-limited environments. Additionally, a successful development of green, low-cost and disposable power source that can be self-sustainable may assist in moving the research and technological developments within the fields of environmental sensing, ingestible medical devices, wearable sensors, and smart textiles forward.
Status/Results
The project will begin in April 2020.
Publications
None so far
Media
None so far
Links
Persons involved in the project
Dr. Javier Riber, Projekt Leader
Dr. Gustav Nyström, Head of the Laboratory for Cellulose and Wood Materials and Head of the Cellulose Biohybrids group at Empa
Prof. Dr. Francis W.M.R. Schwarze, Head of the Bio-engineered Wood group at Empa, adjunct professor at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany) and founder of MycoSolutions AG (Switzerland)
Dr. Alexandre Poulin, Post-doctoral researcher in the Cellulose Biohybrids group at Empa
Last update to this project presentation 25.09.2020