Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and neurostimulators, can be life-saving. But the dependence on batteries has a major disadvantage: the battery of a pacemaker, for example, only lasts five to ten years. When the battery is almost empty, a patient has to go under the knife again to replace the box. Researchers from China may now have a solution for this: an implantable battery that works on oxygen from the body.
Xizheng Liu, a principal investigator and specialist in energy materials and devices at Tianjin University of Technology, explained the innovation:
AAA battery
“Oxygen is the source of our life. If we can harness the continuous supply of oxygen in the body, the battery lifespan will no longer be limited by the finite materials in conventional batteries.” In this way, such a battery could last as long as we live.
The first results are promising. After implantation under the skin of rats, it turned out that the battery could produce stable whatsapp database voltages between 1.3 V and 1.4 V. This is comparable to a AAA battery that you often find in devices such as remote controls. This is not yet sufficient to supply current medical implants with power, but it does show that it is possible to use oxygen from the body as an energy source.
Wound healing
The battery also turns out to have another unexpected function. “We were surprised by the unstable electricity output Pravno strokovno znanje immediately after implantation,” says Lui. “It turns out that we had to give the wound time to heal and the blood vessels to reform around the battery to supply oxygen. Only then could the a complete list of unit phone numbers battery provide stable electricity. This is a surprising and interesting finding because it means that the battery could also help monitor wound healing.”The team also investigated the body’s acceptance of the device by looking at inflammatory responses, metabolic changes,
