Overview
- The MIT team reported on Wednesday that cellulose-based batteries coated with magnesium and molybdenum trioxide produced about 1.84 volts and sustained power for roughly three days in simulated gastric fluid.
- The device uses a paper substrate with a magnesium anode, a molybdenum trioxide cathode and an ionic liquid gel electrolyte so the active materials break down in the digestive tract over weeks.
- In pig tests the battery powered an RFID tag that transmitted up to about 1.5 meters and ran a 20-minute gastric stimulation that raised the hunger hormone ghrelin by roughly 50 percent.
- Key limits remain: experiments involved few animals, the printed circuit board in tested systems was not bioresorbable, and no human trials have been done although MIT plans a clinical study in about two years.
- If developed further the technology could cut risks from swallowed coin cells and lower environmental contamination, but researchers must scale tests, make all electronics safely bioresorbable, and complete robust safety trials before human use.