Power supply unit containing separate droplets separated by an amphiphilic membrane

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power supply unit including a droplet array, a method for manufacturing such a power supply unit, a method for activating such a power supply unit, an activated power supply unit that can be obtained from the power supply unit, a device including the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit, a method for generating an electric current using the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit, and a method for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues using the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply unit including a droplet array, a method for manufacturing such a power supply unit, a method for activating such a power supply unit, an activated power supply unit that can be obtained from such power supply unit, a device including such power supply unit or activated power supply unit, a method for generating an electric current using such power supply unit or activated power supply unit, and a method for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues using such power supply unit or activated power supply unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Devices require power to operate. Despite the existence of widely used technologies that can power large objects, such as wired energy supply from batteries or wireless energy conversion, there is a need for miniaturized power supplies to power very small devices, such as biointegrated devices (for such devices, the need to efficiently stimulate cells and tissues at the microscale remains urgent). An ideal miniaturized power supply should be mechanically flexible, biocompatible (for biointegrated applications), and capable of generating ionic currents for biological stimulation rather than using the flow of electrons as in conventional electronic devices. An interesting approach is to use a soft power supply inspired by electric eels, but a power supply with the required capabilities has not yet been created. This is because it is difficult to obtain a miniaturized unit that retains its contained energy before use and is easily triggered to produce energy output. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide miniaturized power supply units suitable for use in supplying power to devices, particularly biointegrated devices. [Overview of the project]

[0003] The present invention addresses the problems outlined above. In particular, the present invention provides a soft, miniaturized power supply unit capable of supplying power to a device and regulating cell activity. The power supply unit can be activated on demand in a simple manner. The power supply unit stores energy at high density and, after encapsulation, is mechanically flexible, scalable, and portable. The power supply device can be configured to be biocompatible.

[0004] In a first embodiment, the present invention provides a power supply unit including a droplet array, the droplet array being One or more first droplets, and One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, and Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0005] In a first particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to be diffused with salt, (d) One or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (e) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids Includes, The one or more droplets in (a) above may be the same one or more droplets as the one or more droplets in (e) above, and Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0006] In a second particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of a discharge cathode fluid containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material Includes, Here, -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0007] In a second embodiment, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a power supply unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the method being: The process of providing one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated first droplets and one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated second droplets, - A step of providing a power supply unit of the first embodiment by bringing one or more droplets of the first amphiphilic molecular coating and one or more droplets of the second amphiphilic molecular coating into series contact. Includes. In a first preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a power supply unit of the first particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the method being: • Process to provide the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more fluids to which salt diffusion is targeted, and (d) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids; and The process of providing a power supply unit of a first particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the first aspect by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (b) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (c) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (d) above into series contact. Includes.

[0008] In a second preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a power supply unit of the second particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect, the method being: • Process to provide the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more discharge cathode fluids containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more discharge anode fluids containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, The process of bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (b) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (c) above into series contact to provide a power supply unit of a second particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect described above. Includes.

[0009] In a third embodiment, the present invention provides a method for activating a power supply unit of the present invention, the method comprising the step of converting the droplet sequence into a sequence of compartments in which each compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent compartments.

[0010] In a fourth embodiment, the present invention provides an active power supply unit that can be obtained by the method of the third embodiment.

[0011] In a fifth embodiment, the present invention provides an active power supply unit comprising a row of biocompatible gel compartments, wherein the row of biocompatible gel compartments is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, (b) One or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, (c) One or more biocompatible gel compartments to be diffused, (d) One or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments, and (e) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments Includes, The one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments in (a) above may be the same one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments as the one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments in (e) above, and Each biocompatible gel compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent biocompatible gel compartments.

[0012] In a sixth embodiment, the present invention provides an active power supply unit comprising a row of biocompatible gel compartments, wherein the row of biocompatible gel compartments is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartments containing a first ion donor / receptor material, (b) One or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and (c) One or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments containing a second ion donor / receptor material Includes, Here, -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and Each biocompatible gel compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent biocompatible gel compartments.

[0013] In the seventh embodiment, the present invention is (a) Power supply unit according to the present invention, or active power supply unit according to the present invention, and (b) One or more electronic components We provide a device that includes this.

[0014] In an eighth embodiment, the present invention provides a method for generating an electric current, the method being (i) Providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, connecting two droplets in the droplet row by an electronically conductive means, and activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention, or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention and connecting two compartments in the compartment row by an electronically conductive means. It includes one of the following steps.

[0015] In a ninth embodiment, the present invention provides a method for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues, the method being: (i) Providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, and activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention, or (ii) Steps to provide an active power supply unit according to the present invention. Includes one of the following steps: One or more cells or tissues are contained within the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention, or are present in the presence of the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] Figures 1-29 relate to the experiment described in Example 1 and its supplementary information. Figures 30-62 relate to the experiment described in Example 2 and its supplementary information. Figure 63 illustrates an embodiment of the alternative battery chemistry for power sources according to the present invention. [Figure 1] Structure and output performance of droplet power supply. a-c. Fabrication process of power supply unit formed by arranging hydrogel droplets: Pregel droplets were immersed in lipid-containing oil to obtain a lipid monolayer coating, and then a lipid bilayer was formed when the droplets were brought into contact with each other (a); the lipid insulator prevented ion flux between droplets when the droplets were connected to form a single unit (b). Electrical output was measured using an Ag / AgCl electrode. The power supply was activated by transfer to lipid-free oil and thermal gelation, which destroyed the lipid bilayer (Method) (c). d. Bright-field images of the droplet power supply unit formation process. In (i)-(iii), the volume of each droplet was 50 nL. Scale bar is 500 μm. Panel (iii) shows the insertion of an Ag / AgCl electrode. In (iv) and (v), the droplets were encapsulated in a flexible and compressible organogel, demonstrating energy conservation in the portable unit. The volume of each droplet was 500 nL. The scale bar is 10 mm. e, Output open-circuit voltage (VOC) during the transition from pregel (i) to gel (ii) and then to continuous hydrogel network (iii), as shown in (d). The inset shows the output short-circuit current (ISC) of the droplet power supply unit after the formation of the continuous hydrogel network (iii). f, Variation in normalized VOC and average droplet diameter for single power supply units with different lengths of storage time in oil before the formation of the continuous hydrogel network. Normalization was performed against the initial values ​​of each experiment. The droplet diameter decreased over time, most likely due to water evaporation. The data in (e) and (f) are mean ± standard deviation (sd) (n=7). [Figure 2]The effect of droplet volume on the electrical characteristics of droplet power supplies. a. Initial (t=0) VOC and ISC values. Droplet volumes less than 100 nL were calculated based on diameter measured by microscope. b. Calculated power density and total discharge charge of single power supply units with various droplet volumes. Power supply volume and length were 5 times the volume and diameter of a single droplet. c. Normalized VOC, ISC, and total discharge charge of power supply units formed in series and / or parallel droplet networks. The volume of each droplet was 1.84 nL. 2×2 represents two sets of 2 parallel power supply units connected in series. The inset is a schematic diagram showing that power supply units were formed in a continuous droplet network during measurement. Normalization was performed for the output of a single unit. Data are mean ± sd (n=5). [Figure 3] Template-assisted droplet network fabrication and output. a and b. Preparation of large-scale patterned power supply networks. First, seven droplets were placed in a mold using a programmable microinjector to form a hexagonal "flower-like" structure (a). The droplet network can be drawn into a truncated pipette tip by capillary action and arranged three-dimensionally. A larger droplet network was formed by stacking hexagonal droplet aggregates (b). c. Bright-field image of a mold with multiple droplet hexagons. The volume of each droplet was approximately 4 nL. Scale bar is 600 μm. d. Magnified view of a single hexagonal layer. Scale bar is 200 μm. e. Stacks of 7 and 28 power supply units. Scale bar is 600 μm. f. After four-stage sequential placement in a helical mold, the droplets self-assembled to form a chain of power supply units (method). g and h: Twenty power supply units were connected (g, scale bar is 1.2 mm) to generate an output voltage sufficient to light up a red LED (h). [Figure 4]Neuronal regulation induced by ionic droplet devices. a. Trigger strategies used to regulate neuronal activity by generating ionic currents from droplet devices. High-salt droplets and ion-selective droplets functioned together as a droplet device, connected to droplets containing neural microtissue or brain slices. Droplets #1, #2, and #3 received cation influx from the left and anion influx from the right. b. The ionic currents regulated neuronal activity so that it was reflected in intracellular Fluo-4 fluorescence. c. Output of the droplet device across low-salt droplets. Voltage readouts were performed in open-circuit mode to ensure that the continuous hydrogel network was the only current pathway (n=5). The volume of each droplet was 500 nL. The average voltage for the first 10 minutes was 120 mV. The corresponding ionic current was approximately 2.6 μA. d. Frames at various time points showing neurons embedded in droplet #1. Neurons were cultured for different periods (days 3 and 17) to reflect changes in neuronal network activity. The high-salt droplets contained 0.5 M CaCl2. The ionic current flowed from left to right within droplet #1. The orange dashed line indicates the control region. The scale bar is 150 μm. e, Relative fluorescence intensity at different time points along the white dashed line shown in (d). The black dots in each plot indicate the fluorescence center (weighted average distance) at the corresponding time point. f, Relative displacement of fluorescence centers over 90 seconds for neuronal networks and mouse-derived ex vivo brain slices after different culture periods. GABA treatment was used on nerve tissue at day 17 to suppress neuronal network activity (n=3, * indicates P<0.05, ** indicates P<0.01, unpaired one-sided t-test). Data in (f) are shown as mean ± sd. [Figure 5] Extended data Figure 1: Electricity generation mechanism of electric eels. a. Location of the electric organ in electric eels (Electrophorus electricus). b. Electrocytes stacked within the organ generate an electric potential as depicted by the directional ion flux via sodium and potassium channels. [Figure 6]Extended data Figure 2: Measurement of power supply activation during DIB breakdown. a. Integration of a Peltier cooler and heat sink at the bottom of the droplet measurement system enabled electrical readout during temperature-triggered droplet gelation and oil transfer. b. Output VOC during droplet network formation (i) and activation processes (ii and iii). All five independent droplet power supplies were activated within 60 seconds (iv). [Figure 7] Extended Data Figure 3 SEBS organogel encapsulation enables the preservation of droplet networks in a physiological environment. a. Schematic diagram showing SEBS organogel encapsulation. b. Photograph of a droplet power source formed from a 500 nL droplet and encapsulated within an organogel cube. a. Comparison with a 1 penny coin (20.3 mm in diameter). c. The encapsulated droplet power source is flexible and can withstand repeated bending and twisting by hand. d. Open-circuit voltage of a droplet power source encapsulated in an organogel after 30 minutes of immersion in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4, Gibco) or rabbit blood (New Zealand white rabbit strain, Envigo). [Figure 8] Extended Data Figure 4 Optimization of droplet power supply for maximum output. a. VOC and ISC of a single power supply unit with different concentration gradients between high-salt and low-salt droplets, when the high-salt droplet is set to 2M CaCl2. b. VOC and ISC of a single power supply unit with different salt concentrations in low-salt droplets when the concentration gradient is set to 10 times (see Supplementary Note 3 for detailed consideration). c. Dependence of output voltage, current, and power of a single power supply unit on external load resistance. Instantaneous output power reached its maximum (75nW for 50nL droplets) when the load resistance was set to approximately 78kΩ. Output voltage, current, and power showed typical characteristics of a concentration cell, with voltage showing a positive correlation with load resistance, while current followed the opposite trend.17 Data are shown as mean ± sd (n=5). [Figure 9]Extended Data Figure 5 Cell viability tests and immunofluorescence staining of nerve microtissues before and after droplet device adjustment. a. Cell viability in neuron-containing droplets cultured in culture medium for 4, 12, 24, and 48 hours after being connected to the droplet device for 10 minutes. The control group consisted of nerve microtissues embedded only in agarose droplets and not in contact with the droplet device. Salt concentrations in the high-salt droplets (CaCl2) were 0.5 M (50x gradient, light blue) and 1 M (100x gradient, dark blue). Data are shown as mean ± sd (n=5). b. Live / dead imaging of microtissues embedded in agarose droplets, with bright-field (top) and fluorescence (bottom) superimposed. Calcein-AM (live cells, green) and PI (dead cells, red) staining were performed after droplet device (0.5 M) adjustment. Scale bar is 600 μm. c and d, RFP-labeled microtissues were stained for the neuronal cell marker TUJ1 and the apoptosis marker caspase 3. RFP is expressed by living cells; TUJ1 staining reveals neurons including their processes; and caspase 3 staining reveals apoptotic cells. The control group (c, day 10) was not in contact with the droplet device. The experimental group was connected to the droplet device for 10 minutes and then cultured in culture medium for 48 hours (d, day 12). The salt concentration in the high-salt droplet (CaCl2) was 0.5 M (50-fold gradient). e, number of apoptotic cells per 100 × 100 μm². Data are shown as mean ± sd (n=6). [Figure 10]Extended Data Figure 6. Various droplet configurations to verify the modulating effect of the droplet device on nerve microtissue. a. Direct contact between a high-salt droplet (0.5 M CaCl2) and a neuron-containing droplet (neurons cultured for 3 days). b. Frames at various time points showing stable fluorescence. Scale bar is 300 μm. c. Applying an external voltage to an Ag / AgCl electrode in a Ca2+-free hydrogel droplet to modulate nerve microtissue within the connected droplet. Droplet #1 received a relatively positive input voltage compared to droplet #3. The input current was approximately 2.6 μA, which was approximately equal to that of the droplet device. d. Frames at various time points showing neurons embedded in droplet #1. The neurons were cultured for different periods (3 and 17 days). The ion current flowed from left to right within droplet #1. The red dashed line indicates the boundary of the modulating region of the Ca2+ wave. Scale bar is 150 μm. e. Relative fluorescence changes for nerve microtissue after modification by various means. The control group consisted of neuron-containing droplets in direct contact with high-salt droplets (a). The "electric" group was connected to an external voltage source (b). The droplet device groups are shown in Figure 4. [Figure 11] Expanded data Figure 7 Monitoring of neuronal membrane potential changes under droplet device control. a. Neuronal membrane potential was measured by confocal imaging using the voltage-sensitive fluorescent probe FluoVolt® (Methods). Scale bar is 200 μm. b. Frames at various time points in the expanded region of (a), showing fluorescence changes corresponding to droplet device control. Ionic current flowed from the upper left to the lower right of the selected region. Scale bar is 50 μm. c. Relative fluorescence changes of individual neurons under different conditions. Black curves represent neurons in direct contact with high-salt droplets (0.5 M CaCl2). Stable fluorescence indicates that the neuron is maintaining a quiescent state. Red curves represent neurons under droplet device control in (b), and blue curves represent neurons depolarized by the addition of 20 mM KCl solution. Three neural microtissues were tested under each condition, and five cells were randomly selected from each for fluorescence quantification. [Figure 12]Extended Data Figure 8 Regulation of various neuronal networks. a. Neuronal network cultured for 10 days. The high-salt droplet contained 0.5 M CaCl2. Ionic current flowed from left to right within droplet #1. The orange dashed line indicates the regulatory region where fluorescence intensity increased. b. Profile plot of relative fluorescence intensity at different time points along the white dashed line shown in (a). Ionic current flowed from left to right. The black dots in each plot indicate the weighted average distance at that time point. c. In the same setup, a portion of an ex vivo mouse brain slice was embedded in a hydrogel droplet for ion current regulation. d. Profile plot for (c) and weighted average distance at each time point. e. In the same setup, neurons at day 17 were treated with GABA before ion current regulation. f. Profile plot for (e) and weighted average distance at each time point. Scale bars in (a), (c), and (e) are 300 μm. [Figure 13] Extended data Figure 9. Direct connection of droplet devices to mouse brain slices. a. Direct conditioning of mouse brain slices without hydrogel coating using droplet devices. The high-salt droplets contained 0.5 M CaCl2. Two ion-selective droplets were separated by a distance of approximately 300 μm. b. The orange dashed line indicates the conditioned region with increased fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence response of brain slice conditioning is less directional and more heterogeneous compared to neural microtissue, which may be due to different neural wiring or tissue structure in different regions of the brain slice. Scale bar is 150 μm. [Figure 14] Schematic diagram S1. A schematic diagram showing the basic electrochemical and electrical mechanisms and measurement circuit of a droplet power supply. a. The ion flux inside the droplet power supply can be simplified to four components: (1) The ion gradient between the high-salt and low-salt droplets generates an electromotive force and an ion flux across the charge-selective droplet; (2) Inflowing ions (blue and red arrows) move at a rate that maintains electrical neutrality; (3) Ions in the terminal high-salt droplet react at the electrodes, converting the ion flux into an electron flow in the external circuit; (4) The internal ion current affects the activity of the embedded neuron. b. Equivalent electrical circuits of the droplet power supply, connected electrodes, and measuring instrument corresponding to parts (1), (2), and (3) of (a). [Figure 15] Schematic diagram S2: Model of regenerative Ca2+ emission and wave propagation (SI reference 21). [Figure 16] Supplementary Figure 1. Disruption of the lipid bilayer between two pregel droplets. After gelation and oil transfer, a continuous hydrogel is formed. Schematic diagram (top) and fluorescence microscope image (bottom) of the droplet pair before and after continuous hydrogel formation. The droplet pair was formed from an agarose pregel droplet and an agarose pregel droplet containing the bilayer-impermeable dye ATTO-488 (1 μM, Sigma-Aldrich). After gelation and oil transfer due to the absence of lipid oil, the dye diffused into the adjacent droplet, showing bilayer disruption. Scale bar is 250 μm. [Figure 17] Supplementary Figure 2 shows the gelation temperature of the SEBS organogel. Undecane / hexadecane (50% v / v) was used in the oil transfer process, achieving a gelation temperature of less than 37°C. Encapsulation was performed by replacing the silicone oil with the molten organogel in the final oil transfer stage. [Figure 18] Supplementary Figure 3. ISC simulation to support experimental results. a. Simulation layout corresponding to a droplet radius of 258 μm and volume of 50 nL. b. Comparison of simulation results with experimental results. [Figure 19] Supplementary Figure 4: Changes in volume ratio over time. Hydrogel droplet diameter was measured from photographs, and droplet volume was calculated assuming spherical geometry. The volume ratio is relative to the initial volume value (0 hours) of each experiment. Data are shown as mean ± sd (n=3). [Figure 20]Supplementary Figure 5: Effect of cations in high-salt and low-salt droplets on electrical output. Na+, K+, Ca+, and the cationic forms of pyronin Y and GABA were all investigated as chloride salts. a. Divalent Ca2+ ions carry more charge than monovalent ions, thus generating a higher voltage under the same concentration gradient (200 times). A higher output voltage for K+ is generated due to the combined effect of higher aqueous phase ion mobility (SI Reference 14) (K+: 7.62 × 10⁻⁸ m² s⁻¹ V⁻¹, Na+: 5.19 × 10⁻⁸ m² s⁻¹ V⁻¹) and higher affinity for cation-selective polystyrene sulfonate chains (SI Reference 23) (K+: 2.27, Na+: 1.58). b. VOC values ​​of the cationic forms of pyronin Y and GABA at the indicated concentrations compared with those of Ca2+ ions. [Figure 21] Supplementary Figure 6. ISC over time for two droplet power supply units with different volumes. Current traces were integrated over time to calculate the capacitance of the droplet power supply during each discharge. a. Experimental results. b. Simulation based on the same structural setup as the experimental droplet power supply (Supplementary Figure 3). [Figure 22] Supplementary Figure 7. Charging of electronic components and circuits. a. Charging of a capacitor and illumination of an LED by a droplet power supply. b. Charging current of a 0.47 μF capacitor. The blue region shows the integral region of the current trace with respect to time, indicating the amount of charge (approximately 1.57 μC) accumulated in the capacitor during one charging cycle. c. Charging of a pulse generation circuit by a droplet power supply. The pulse generation circuit was connected to the droplet power supply using a capacitor for charge collection. The inset is a photograph of the pulse generation circuit based on a 555 timer chip. d. By adjusting the values ​​of RH and RL, the pulse frequency was adjusted from 3 to 10 Hz. Higher frequencies resulted in faster energy consumption of the droplet power supply. [Figure 23] Supplementary Figure 8. Recharging of the droplet power network. The droplet power network (Figures 3e and 3h) was recharged with a reverse voltage of 200mV for 5 minutes. The ISC was recorded, and this cycle was repeated 10 times. The data are shown as mean ± sd (n=5). [Figure 24]Supplementary Figure 9. Fluorescence monitoring of ion flux from a droplet device. a. In the three front low-salt droplets (red), inflowing cations move from left to right and inflowing anions move from right to left, generating ionic currents within the three droplets. b. Relative concentration distribution of Ca2+ (orange) and Cl- (green) across the three low-salt droplets, calculated from line scans of fluorescent Ca2+ and Cl- indicators after 5 minutes (method). The volume of each droplet was approximately 500 nL. c. Line scan of the fluorescence signal across the three low-salt droplets (red in a), showing Ca2+ concentration over time. d. Salt concentration in the high-salt droplet affects the velocity and intensity of the cation flux. Data was obtained from the front left droplet. e. Line scan of the fluorescence signal across the three low-salt droplets, showing Cl- concentration over time. A decrease in fluorescence indicates an increase in Cl-. f. The salt concentration in high-salt droplets affects the velocity and intensity of the anion flux. Data were obtained from the forward-right droplet. All data are shown as mean ± sd (n=3). [Figure 25] Supplementary Figure 10. 3D neural microtissue in culture. a-d. Microscopic images of neural microtissue at the following times: a, day 0 (immediately after generation by microfluidic system); b, day 3; c, day 10; d, day 17. Red arrows indicate elongated and intertwined neurites, which indicate the formation of neuronal connections. e and f. Bright-field microscopy image (e) and superimposed confocal image (f) of agarose droplets containing neural microtissue at day 10. Neurons were stained with Calcein-AM. Scale bar is 250 μm. [Figure 26] Supplementary Figure 11. Image of a droplet ring for triggering neuronal regulation. a. Droplet device connected to droplets containing nerve microtissue (three lower droplets, #1, #2, and #3). b. Magnified view of droplet #3 containing nerve microtissue on day 3. Scale bar is 500 μm. [Figure 27]Supplementary Figure 12. XYZ scanning of neuron-containing droplets (day 17) using a confocal microscope. a. Schematic diagram of three Z-stacks. b. Dark-field image. The bottom of the embedded nerve microtissue was defined as Z=0μm. Neurons were stained with Fluo-4 Direct™. Scale bar is 300μm. Due to limited light penetration, deeper stacks (e.g., Z=140μm) could only be imaged near the boundaries. [Figure 28] Supplementary Figure 13. Images of mouse brain slices. a. Mouse brain slice in culture medium. Scale bar is 1.5 cm. b. A portion of the brain slice was cut out using a 1 mm biopsy punch (KAI) and embedded in a droplet by coating with agarose (method). c. Bright-field image of the brain slice boundary where neurons are visible. Scale bars in (b) and (c) are 65 μm. [Figure 29] Supplementary Figure 14. Calculation of Ca2+ wave propagation velocity from fluorescence intensity of individual neurons. a. Selected neurons in nerve microtissue on day 3, along the direction of the Ca2+ wave (white dashed line). b. Time-dependent change in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in cells labeled 1-6 in (a). c and d. Selected neurons in nerve microtissue on day 17 (c) and their changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration (d). e. Ca2+ wave propagation velocity on day 3 and day 17. Six neurons (five data values) were selected from each nerve microtissue, and three nerve microtissues with the same culture time were analyzed (n=15). Data are shown as mean ± sd (** indicates P<0.01, two-sample t-test). Scale bar is 150 μm. [Figure 30]Example 2, Figure 1: Design of LiDB. a-c. Fabrication of LiDB by continuously arranging hydrogel droplets: Silk pregel droplets were immersed in lipid-containing oil to obtain a lipid monolayer coating, and then a lipid bilayer was formed when the droplets were brought into contact with each other (a); the lipid insulator prevented Li ion flux between droplets when the droplets were connected to form a single unit (b); the battery was activated by UV crosslinking of the silk hydrogel, which broke down the lipid bilayer and formed a continuous hydrogel structure (c). The electrical output was measured using a carbon electrode. d. Operating mechanism of LiDB. Electrons flow from the electrode to the Li particles via conductive interconnect carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Subsequently, charge neutralization occurs due to the insertion or deinsertion of Li ions into or outside the Li particles. Therefore, Li ions are fluxed throughout the negatively charged silk hydrogel formed by dityrosine crosslinks (dashed box) mediated by small amounts of tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru), sodium persulfate (SPS), and low-intensity UV irradiation (1 min). e. Bright-field images of LiDB before and after UV-induced crosslinking. Droplet volume is 30 nL. f. Bright-field images of LiDB with different droplet volumes. From top to bottom: 250, 50, and 10 nL. Scale bar is 400 μm. [Figure 31] Example 2, Figure 2: Electrochemical properties of LiDBs. a. Constant current charge-discharge curve of LiDB at a current of 0.5 μA. b. Discharge curve of LiDB at different currents. c. Cycle performance of LiDB at a current of 1 μA. C0 and C correspond to the capacity before and after the cycle. d. Calculated volumetric capacity and discharged charge of LiDBs with various droplet volumes. e. Comparison of volumetric capacity of LiDB (red) and reported flexible Li-ion hydrogel batteries (blue) 9-12. f. Six LiDB units were connected in series by the screen-printed carbon electrodes at the bottom to illuminate three red light-emitting diodes. 1 μL (a-c) and 0.5 μL (f) droplets were used. The scale bar in f is 2.4 mm. Data in d and e are mean ± standard deviation (sd), n=5. [Figure 32]Example 2, Figure 3: LiDB-driven charged molecule transfer. a. Bright-field images of a LiDB unit unconnected to two conversion droplets (i, center red frame) and three hydrogel droplets (ii) or aqueous synthetic cells (iii, right blue frame). The conversion hydrogel droplets contained 1.1% w / v PEDOT:PSS, which converts electron flow from the LiDB into ionic flux (i). M+ represents cations in the electrolyte. Pore-forming protein αHL was used to achieve signal (charged molecule) transfer through the DIB (iii). The fluorescent charged molecules were cationic pyronin Y (10 μM, red) and anionic MANT-dATP (100 μM, blue). b. Overlay of bright-field and fluorescence microscope images (background removed) of the three hydrogel droplets at the start and 10 minutes after LiDB operation. Initially, only the central cell contained pyronin Y. c. Fluorescence ratio showing migration of pyronin Y towards the LiDB anode (right droplet). d and f. Overlay images (background removed) of hydrogel droplets containing MANT-dATP (d) and aqueous cells (f) at the start and 10 minutes after LiDB activation. e and g. Fluorescence ratio showing migration of MANT-dATP towards the LiDB cathode (left droplet). Droplet volume is 0.3 μL. Scale bar is 800 μm. Data are mean ± sd, n=3. [Figure 33]Example 2, Figure 4: Ex vivo mouse cardiac stimulation with LiDB. a. Direct contact with LiDB to induce electric shock / defibrillation. The black box indicates that ECG signals were recorded at three electrodes to monitor the cardiac response. The red box shows the output current of the LiDB in phosphate-buffered saline, which flows through the heart during the contact process. The time derivative of the output current shows that the greatest changes occur when the LiDB contacts and detaches from the heart, which can alter the electrophysiological activity of the heart. b. Image of the direct contact. Scale bar is 1 cm. c. Cell viability assay of fibroblasts after 48 hours of contact with a fully charged LiDB formed from a 1 μL droplet (n=3). NS indicates no significant difference; two-sample t-test. d. ECG traces of the heart under stimulation with LiDBs of droplet volumes 0.2, 1, and 3 μL. Green arrows indicate the time of contact, and red arrows indicate the time of detachment. e. Shock amplitude and pulse interval of the heart under stimulation with LiDBs of different droplet volumes (n=5). The pulse interval was the time difference between the point of contact and the next natural heartbeat. The inset shows a comparison of the mean shock amplitude. The control group represents a complete discharge LiDB (natural heartbeat). f and g, ECG traces of cardiac defibrillation from ventricular tachycardia (f) and fibrillation (g). The heart was subjected to ouabain solution perfusion to induce arrhythmia (method). Contact (green arrow and dashed line) and removal (red arrow and dashed line) of the LiDB were set as the start and end of the defibrillation process. Cardiac defibrillation was performed with a LiDB containing a 3 μL droplet. h, ECG trace of the heart receiving two sequential cycles of ouabain-induced fibrillation and LiDB-enabled defibrillation with a 3 μL droplet. Data in c and e are mean ± sd. [Figure 34]Example 2, Figure 5: Magnetic propulsion and steering of a LiDB. a. Magnetic manipulation of the LiDB was made possible by incorporating magnetic Ni particles into the central separator droplet (i). The LiDB can be manipulated to different target electrodes to deliver energy in oil (ii) and from oil to water (iii). b. Bright-field image of the LiDB containing Ni particles. c. Relative capacitance of the LiDB with and without Ni particles. d. Trajectory of the LiDB moving through a maze and repeatedly delivering and recharging energy. e. Charge-discharge curves of the LiDB after the first and tenth cycles of magnetic movement. f. A 2mF capacitor was connected to the target electrode to collect the delivered energy for each cycle. g. Trajectory of the LiDB traversing from the oil phase to the water phase (LiCl 1M, blue dye for visualization). h and i. Discharge curves (h) and relative capacitance (i) of the LiDB in oil and water. j. Image showing the time course of biodegradation after adding Proteinase K to the water phase. The droplet volume is 0.25 μL. The scale bars for b and j are 800 μm. The scale bars for d and g are 3 mm. The data for c, h, and i are mean ± sd, and n=5. [Figure 35] Example 2 Extended Data Figure 1 Disruption of the lipid bilayer between two pregel droplets. After UV crosslinking of the silk hydrogel, a continuous hydrogel was formed. Subsequently, the bilayer-impermeable dye ATTO-488 (1 μM, Sigma-Aldrich) diffused into adjacent droplets, resulting in bilayer disruption. Overlay bright-field and fluorescence microscope images (top) and relative fluorescence intensity (bottom) of the droplet pair before (a) and after (b) continuous hydrogel formation. [Figure 36]Example 2 Extended Data Figure 2 Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and zeta potential of silk hydrogel. a. AC impedance spectrum over the frequency range of 0.1 to 100 kHz. The electrical conductivity of the silk hydrogel was calculated by Ohm's law. The silk hydrogel containing CNTs had an electrical conductivity of approximately 41.3 mS cm⁻¹, which was 30 times higher than the silk hydrogel without CNTs (approximately 1.3 mS cm⁻¹). b. Theoretical fitting of the silk hydrogel containing CNTs. The inset is an equivalent circuit. The charge transfer resistance (Rct) at the CNT-Li particle-electrolyte interface was approximately 10²⁵ Ω. c. Zeta potential of native silk solution diluted to 2.5 mg mL⁻¹ and silk hydrogel. [Figure 37] Example 2 Extended Data Figure 3 Relative fluorescence of three connected droplets before and after charged molecule migration driven by LiDB. a. Cationic pyronin Y (10 μM) migrated toward the negative anode of the LiDB (right droplet). b and c. Anionic MANT-dATP (100 μM) migrated toward the positive cathode of the LiDB (left droplet) in hydrogel droplets (b) and aqueous (c) synthetic cells. d. Molecular structures of pyronin Y and MANT-dATP. The control group represents experiments using a fully discharged LiDB. Data are mean ± sd, n=3. [Figure 38] Example 2 Extended Data Figure 4 Biocompatibility of LiDB. a and b, Live / dead imaging of 3T3 fibroblasts shows live cells (green) and dead cells (red). The control group was not in contact with LiDB (a). Cells in the experimental group were attached to LiDBs with 1 μL droplets (b). The red dashed line shows the outline of the connected LiDB. Cells were in contact with LiDBs for 48 hours before image acquisition. Scale bar is 300 μm. c-e, Cell assays using human fibroblasts or (human iPSC-derived) atrial or ventricular cardiomyocytes after co-culture with LiDBs for 7 days. MTT assay reveals cellular metabolic activity and viability (a). Cytotoxicity assay monitors the cytotoxic effect of LiDBs (b). Caspase assay detects caspase activity and cellular apoptosis (c). NS is not significant; two-sample t-test. [Figure 39]Example 2 Extended Data Figure 5 Optogenetic control of heart rhythm by blue light pacing. a. Image of the pacing setup. Scale bar is 1.2 cm. b. ECG of intrinsic heart rate. c. ECG during light-controlled pacing to avoid ectopic heart rate. [Figure 40] Example 2 Extended Data Figure 6 ECG trace of the heart under DC stimulation via wired electrodes. a. Image of the electrode stimulation. Scale bar is 1 cm. b. Green arrows indicate the point of stimulation on, and red arrows indicate the point of stimulation off. Stimulation with 30 μA of DC was equivalent to the application of a LiDB with a droplet volume of 1 μL, and showed similar shock signals, cardiac suppression, and subsequent recovery in the ECG trace. [Figure 41] Example 2 Extended Data Figure 7 Activation of a pulse generation circuit using six LiDBs connected in series. a. Circuit diagram of the pulse generation circuit connected to the LiDB power pack. A reed switch was used to avoid interference. b. Charging curve of a 4700μF capacitor. c and d. By adjusting the RH and RL values, the pulse frequency was adjusted to 2.5~10Hz and the pulse width to 5ms. e. Output voltage of a 2.5Hz pulse in one pacing cycle. One LiDB power pack was able to power three stimulation cycles. [Figure 42] Example 2 Extended Data Figure 8 Ex vivo mouse cardiac pacing by LiDB. a. Wired contact for pacing. ECG signals were monitored with three electrodes to reflect cardiac response. b. Image of wired contact for atrial pacing. Scale bar is 1.2 cm. c-e. ECG spikes of heartbeats during intrinsic heartbeat (c) and LiDB-powered atrial (d) and ventricular (e) pacing. Arrows indicate the timing of the pacing signal. f. Upper panel shows ECG signals of the heart under different pacing frequencies. Lower panel shows ECG traces and corresponding instantaneous pacing frequencies during a single 10 Hz pacing stimulus. g. Normalized count of heartbeats under 10 Hz and 2.5 Hz pacing. Three independent stimuli were counted. [Figure 43]Supplementary Figure 1 of Example 2. Infrared spectroscopy of silk pregel (blue) and UV crosslinked hydrogel (red). The absorption assigned to the crystalline region increased with the formation of β-sheets. Three absorption bands are proposed at 1625, 1645, and 1660 cm⁻¹, associated with β-sheets, random coils, and α-helices, respectively.6,7 The samples were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total internal reflection mode. [Figure 44] Supplementary Figure 2 of Example 2: Compression response of LiDB. a and b, repeated compressive stress-strain curves of LiDB under 0-50% (a) and 0-80% strain (b). c, compressive modulus as a function of compressive strain. d, relative capacity of LiDB before and after 80% compressive strain. Data for c and d are mean ± standard deviation (sd), n=5. [Figure 45] Supplementary Figure 3 of Example 2: Cyclic voltammograms of silk hydrogel (black), silk-LTO (blue), and silk-LMO (red) hydrogels at a scanning speed of 10 mV s⁻¹. A mass loading of 10% w / v LTO or LMO was used in the silk hydrogel. [Figure 46] Supplementary Figure 4 of Example 2. Scanning electron microscope images of dehydrated silk-LMO(a) and silk-LTO(b) hydrogels. The silk hydrogels were loaded with a volumetric load of 30% v / v CNTs and a mass load of 10% w / v LMO or LTO. Scale bar is 1 μm. [Figure 47] Supplementary Figure 5 of Example 2 shows the volumetric capacity of LiDBs with different mass loadings of LMO in the cathode droplet and LTO in the anode droplet. The data are mean ± sd (n=3). [Figure 48] Supplementary Figure 6 of Example 2 shows the cycle performance and rate characteristics of the LiDB at charge and discharge currents of 0.5, 1, and 2 μA. C0 and C correspond to the volumetric capacity before and after the cycle. [Figure 49] Supplementary Figure 7 for Example 2: Voltage-time curves measured for LiDB. a. Output voltage of LiDB after different storage times in oil before activation. b. Self-discharge of LiDB after activation by hydrogel structure formation. Data are mean ± sd (n=5). [Figure 50] Supplementary Figure 8 of Example 2 shows the temperature of the LiDB at a charge / discharge current of 0.5 μA. A temperature sensor with a probe size of less than 1 mm² was placed below the LiDB. A 0.1 μL droplet was used. [Figure 51] Supplementary Figure 9 of Example 2 shows the normalized open-circuit voltage of LiDBs connected in series by the screen-printed carbon electrodes at the bottom. A 0.5 μL droplet was used. The data is the mean ± sd (n=5). [Figure 52] Supplementary Figure 10 of Example 2 shows that six LiDBs were connected to illuminate three red light-emitting diodes (a) and a liquid crystal display timer (b). [Figure 53] Supplementary Figure 11 of Example 2 Measurement of conversion hydrogel droplets. a. Agarose droplets containing 100 mM potassium chloride (2% w / v, 0.5 μL) were used. The two terminal droplets (dark blue) contained redox materials such as poly(2,3-dihydrothieno-1,4-dioxin)-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS, 1.1% w / v) or I3-(0.6 M KI, 0.4 M I2). The conversion droplets were used to convert the electron flow from the connected electrode into an ion flux in the central hydrogel droplet (light blue). When an input voltage was applied to the electrode, the ions in the conversion droplet first formed an electrical double layer surrounding the electrode (i), producing an initial current peak. Subsequently, a redox reaction occurred due to the presence of redox material in the conversion droplet (ii). b. The current was measured by a gold electrode with an input voltage of 500 mV applied. The aforementioned redox material can generate a greater ion flux compared to a pure electrode, thus providing a higher current. KI / I2 (Lugol's solution, Sigma-Aldrich) could conduct the redox reaction, but the high solubility of I2 in oil limited its applicability. Therefore, PEDOT:PSS was used for conversion. [Figure 54] Supplementary Figure 12 of Example 2: Schematic diagram illustrating two different stimulation approaches powered by a LiDB. [Figure 55] Supplementary Figure 13 of Example 2: Comparison of induced heartbeat intervals of LiDBs with different droplet volumes. The control group represents fully discharged LiDBs (intrinsic heartbeats). Data are mean ± sd (n=5). [Figure 56] Supplementary Figure 14 of Example 2 shows the ECG traces of the heart during LiDB contact and removal. Different degrees of electrical stimulation were generated by using LiDBs with droplet volumes of 0.2 (a and b), 1 (c and d), and 3 μL (e and f). [Figure 57] Supplementary Figure 15 of Example 2 shows ECG traces of the heart at the start and end of constant DC stimulation via wired electrodes. Different degrees of electrical stimulation were generated by applying currents of 15 (a and b), 30 (c and d), and 45 μA (e and f). [Figure 58] Supplementary Figure 16 of Example 2 shows the ECG traces of the heart before and after LiDB-enabled defibrillation. a and b show the ECG traces of the heart during ventricular tachycardia (a) and after LiDB-enabled defibrillation (b). c and d show the ECG traces of the heart during ventricular fibrillation (c) and after LiDB-enabled defibrillation (d). [Figure 59] Supplementary Figure 17 of Example 2: Cyclic voltammograms of silk hydrogels without (gray) and containing (black) Ni particles at a scanning speed of 10 mV s⁻¹. [Figure 60] Supplementary Figure 18 of Example 2: Images of a maze filled with oil (a) and a two-tiered well filled with an aqueous solution containing oil and blue pigment (b). Scale bar is 2 cm. [Figure 61] Supplementary Figure 19 of Example 2 shows the first (a) and tenth (b) charging cycles of a 2mF capacitor by a magnetically driven LiDB. The capacitor was connected to a target electrode in a maze to collect the delivered energy for each cycle. [Figure 62] Supplementary Figure 20 of Example 2 shows that organogel encapsulation enabled the storage of LiDBs in a physiological environment. The left side is a schematic diagram showing droplets without poly(styrene-β-ethylene-CO-butylene-β-styrene) triblock copolymer encapsulation (i) and droplets with encapsulation (ii). The right side shows the cycle performance of the LiDB at a charge / discharge current of 1 μA. C0 corresponds to the battery capacity before immersion in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4, Gibco). C corresponds to the capacity after charge / discharge cycles. The data are mean ± sd (n=3). [Figure 63]Example 3 Figure 1 Chemistry occurring in an enzyme-enabled droplet biocell. (a) A droplet biocell is fabricated by separating oxidation and reduction reactions in a droplet pair. In the cathode droplet (green), Lac catalyzes oxygen reduction and consumes electrons. In the anode droplet, NADH is oxidized and generates electrons. Electron transfer between the gold electrode and the aqueous phase is facilitated by ABTS in the cathode droplet and AQDS in the anode droplet, which function as electron shuttles. The redox reaction drives electron flow in the external circuit, which involves the transport of monovalent cations in the aqueous droplet, such as sodium ions (Na+) and protons (H+), across the DIB via monovalent cation-selective gA channels to maintain charge balance. (b) Photograph of the droplet biocell. Scale bar is 200 μm. (c) Electrochemical reactions occurring in the anode and cathode droplets. (d) Short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage traces of the droplet biocell recorded over 1 hour using a patch-clamp amplifier. The data is presented as mean + / - standard deviation (sd), with n=5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The present invention is described with reference to specific embodiments and with reference to specific drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto and is limited only by the claims. No reference numeral in the claims should be construed as limiting its scope. Of course, it should be understood that not all aspects or advantages of the present invention may necessarily be achieved according to any particular embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, for example, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be embodied or practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or more advantages without necessarily achieving other aspects or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.

[0018] The present invention, with regard to both its configuration and method of operation, along with its features and advantages, can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and will be illustrated by referring to the embodiments described below. Throughout this specification, any reference to “one embodiment” or “a certain embodiment” means that a particular feature, configuration, or characteristic described in relation to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in a certain embodiment” in various places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but may refer to the same embodiment. Similarly, in the description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, various features of the present invention may sometimes be described collectively in a single embodiment, drawing, or description, for the purpose of concise disclosure and to aid in understanding one or more of the various embodiments of the invention. However, such a method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than those explicitly described in each claim. Rather, as the following claims demonstrate, the aspects of the invention lie in fewer features than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above. Unless otherwise indicated in the context, the “embodiments” of this disclosure should be understood as being specifically combined. Any specific combination of all disclosed embodiments is also a further embodiment of the claimed invention, unless otherwise suggested in the context. In addition, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include multiple subjects unless the context clearly requires otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "a droplet" includes two or more droplets, a reference to "a motor protein" includes two or more such proteins, a reference to "a salt" includes two or more salts, a reference to "a monomer" refers to two or more monomers, and a reference to "an amphipathic molecule" includes two or more amphipathic molecules. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein, whether preceding or following, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0019] definition Where an indefinite or definite article, such as "a" or "an," or "the," is used to refer to a singular noun, it includes the plural form of the noun unless otherwise specified. Where the term "comprising" is used in this specification and the claims, it does not preclude other elements or processes. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," etc., in the specification and the claims are used to distinguish similar elements and are not necessarily used to indicate a sequential or chronological order. In this specification, when referring to measurable values ​​such as quantities, "about" means that a variation of ±20% or ±10%, more preferably ±5%, even more preferably ±1%, and even more preferably ±0.1% with respect to a specific value is included as a range of variation appropriate for carrying out the disclosed method. When a droplet is described as being "separated from one or more adjacent droplets," this means that there is no, or substantially no, diffusion of any chemical substance (e.g., anions, cations, and / or solvents such as water) between the contents of that droplet and the contents of one or more adjacent droplets. In other words, the droplets are not diffusively continuous with each other. When a compartment is described as being "diffusively contiguous with one or more adjacent compartments," this means that at least some chemical substances (e.g., at least anions, cations, and / or solvents such as water) can diffuse from one compartment to another.

[0020] Power supply unit (1) As discussed above, the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is One or more first droplets, and One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, and each droplet is separated from its one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane, which is a power supply unit.

[0021] Accordingly, the power supply unit of the present invention is a form of battery in an inactive state, which contains a potential energy difference across a barrier that can be made permselective. In one embodiment, the barrier is amphiphilic between the first droplet and the second droplet. However, in a preferred embodiment, the barrier is a separator droplet. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply unit is a power supply unit comprising a droplet sequence, wherein the droplet sequence, in this order or the reverse order, (a) one or more first droplets, (b) one or more separator droplets, and (c) one or more second droplets comprises A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, and each droplet is separated from its one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0022] Those skilled in the art will understand that, in principle, any battery chemistry can be used within the power supply unit of the present invention to provide a potential energy difference between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the potential energy difference is an ion gradient (i.e., a salt concentration difference across the barrier). This potential energy difference can be converted into an electromotive force across the barrier when the barrier is selectively permeable to either the cationic or anionic portion of the salt (for example, by introducing ion-selective channels in an amphiphilic membrane or by using anionic or cationic polymers in the separator droplet). Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the first droplet is a droplet of a high-salt fluid, and the second droplet is a droplet of a fluid to which salt is to diffuse (where the "high-salt fluid" contains one or more salts at a higher concentration than the "fluid to which salt is to diffuse," and as a result, there is a driving force for the anions or cations of the salt to diffuse into the "fluid to diffuse" across an anion-selective or cationic permeable barrier).

[0023] Therefore, the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is in this order or the reverse order, (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, or one or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to be diffused with salt Includes, It is preferable that each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane. In this case, the one or more droplets of cation-selective fluid / one or more droplets of anion-selective fluid are separator droplets.

[0024] In the power supply unit of the present invention, an increased current can be obtained by arranging multiple droplet rows in parallel as appropriate. Therefore, it is preferable that the power supply unit includes multiple droplet rows, and that the multiple droplet rows are arranged in parallel such that droplets of the same type within each droplet row are adjacent to each other.

[0025] As discussed above, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to be diffused with salt, (d) One or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (e) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids Includes, The one or more droplets in (a) above may be the same one or more droplets as the one or more droplets in (e) above, and Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0026] If the one or more droplets in (a) above are the same one or more droplets as the one or more droplets in (e) above, the power supply unit exists in a circular shape, and the cations and anions derived from the high-salt fluid move in different directions along the circumference. Therefore, this particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention includes two droplets as a barrier, one of which may be selectively permeable to the cationic portion of the salt in one or more droplets of (a) above, and the other barrier may be selectively permeable to the anionic portion of the salt in one of the droplets of (e) above (as a result, the cations from one or more droplets of (a) and the anions from one or more droplets of (e) above can diffuse into one or more droplets of (c) above). Thus, when the barrier is permeable, an electromotive force is generated between one or more droplets of (a) and one or more droplets of (e) above.

[0027] This embodiment of the present invention is particularly preferred because, in order to increase the overall voltage of the power supply unit, the voltage of the power supply unit can be conveniently increased by arranging the droplet rows (a) to (e) in series. Therefore, it is preferable that the droplet row of the particularly preferred embodiment includes a further optionally repeated droplet subrow between one or more droplets of (a) and one or more droplets of (b), and the droplet subrows are in this order. (i) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (ii) One or more droplets of the fluid to be diffused with salt, (iii) One or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (iv) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids Includes.

[0028] In a broader embodiment of the power supply of the present invention, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally selected one or more separator droplets are each preferably droplets of fluid. More preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally selected one or more separator droplets are each preferably droplets of fluid that are a solution or suspension in a droplet medium, of which the solution in the droplet medium is most preferred. Similarly, the one or more high-salt fluids, one or more cation-selective fluids, one or more fluids targeted for salt diffusion, and one or more anion-selective fluids are each solutions or suspensions in a droplet medium, of which solutions in a droplet medium are most preferred.

[0029] The droplet medium may be any liquid medium that is immiscible with one or more other liquid mediums, and therefore may be a fluorinated solvent, an organic solvent, an oil (for example, one or more mineral oils, vegetable oils (olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, or sunflower oil, etc.), or a synthetic oil (polyalphaolefin or silicone oil, etc.), preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 Hydrocarbons, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbons) and / or silicone oil (preferably poly(C) 1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6 The droplet medium may be an alkyl siloxane, more preferably hexadecane, undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane, most preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane, or water. The droplet medium may optionally be oil or water. Most preferably, the droplet medium is water.

[0030] Preferably, the power supply unit of the present invention is suspended in a suspension medium that is immiscible with a droplet medium, and therefore the suspension medium can also be any liquid medium that is immiscible with one or more other liquid media, and thus fluorinated solvents, organic solvents, oils (for example, one or more mineral oils, vegetable oils (olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, or sunflower oil, etc.) or synthetic oils (polyalphaolefin or silicone oil, etc.), preferably hydrocarbon oils (preferably C 8-30 Hydrocarbons, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbons) and / or silicone oil (preferably poly(C) 1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6(alkyl)siloxane), even more preferably hexadecane, undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane, most preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane)), or water. Suitably, the suspension medium is oil or water. The suspension medium is preferably oil. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, the droplet medium is water, and the suspension medium is a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 hydrocarbon, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbon) and / or silicone oil (preferably polydi(C 1-6 alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C 1-6 alkyl)siloxane), preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane.

[0031] In a broader embodiment of the power source of the present invention, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optional one or more separator droplets each preferably comprise one or more gelling agents. More preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optional one or more separator droplets each comprise the same one or more gelling agents. Even more preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optional one or more separator droplets each comprise one gelling agent, and most preferably comprise the same single gelling agent. Similarly, the one or more high-salt fluids, the one or more cation-selective fluids, the one or more low-salt fluids, and the one or more anion-selective fluids each comprise one or more gelling agents. More preferably, the one or more high-salt fluids, the one or more cation-selective fluids, the one or more low-salt fluids, and the one or more anion-selective fluids each comprise the same one or more gelling agents. Even more preferably, the one or more high-salt fluids, the one or more cation-selective fluids, the one or more low-salt fluids, and the one or more anion-selective fluids each comprise one gelling agent, and most preferably comprise the same single gelling agent.

[0032] Preferably, each gelling agent is a polymer, polymerizable monomer, or oligomer. Since the droplet medium is most preferably water, the gelling agent is preferably a hydrogel gelling agent. Typically, the polymer gelling agent is selected from polysaccharides (agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose, and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (DNA and RNA, etc.), polyamides (collagen, gelatin, and silk fibroin, most preferably silk fibroin), polyphenols (ligin, etc.), polyesters (polycaprolactone and polylactic acid, etc.), polyethers (polyethylene glycol, etc.), vinyl polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinyl acetate, etc.), acrylate polymers (polyacrylic acid, etc.), and acrylamide polymers (polyacrylamide, etc.). The polymer gelling agent may be a copolymer or grafted form of one or more of the above polymers, and may contain functional groups (such as acryloyl groups) that enable the polymer to be crosslinked. Preferably, the polymer gelling agent is a polysaccharide, polynucleic acid, polyamide, or polyphenol. More preferably, the polymer gelling agent is a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably agarose. Polysaccharides and polyamides (such as agarose and silk fibroin) are particularly preferred because they can be easily digested by, for example, agarase and peptidase, respectively. As a result, the power source of the present invention has advantageous degradability, specifically biodegradability.

[0033] Typically, the polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent is a compound having one or more polymerizable groups, and the compound is preferably a compound having one or more groups selected from a carboxylic acid group, an aldehyde group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an epoxy group, an alkenyl group, and an alkynyl group. More preferably, the polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent is a compound having an alkenyl group conjugated to one or more electron-withdrawing groups (preferably a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, or an amide group), and is particularly preferably methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and acrylamide, most preferably acrylamide.

[0034] Most preferably, the gelling agent is a polymer gelling agent. The gelling agent can be gelled by any means known to those skilled in the art. For example, the polymer gelling agent can be gelled by heating, cooling, or crosslinking (using chemical agents (such as glutaraldehyde and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) and / or by ultraviolet light). In one embodiment, the polymer gelling agent is agarose, which is gelled by cooling (for example, below 37°C, preferably below 25°C, more preferably below 10°C, preferably to about 4°C). In another embodiment, the polymer gelling agent is silk fibroin, which is gelled by UV light. In one embodiment, the silk fibroin is a photocatalyst (preferably a homogeneous photocatalyst, preferably an iridium or ruthenium photocatalyst, most preferably Ru(II)(bpy)3) 2+) is used, and gelation is achieved by crosslinking tyrosine residues in the silk fibroin protein backbone under UV light (that is, light with a wavelength of 100 to 400 nm, preferably 200 to 400 nm, more preferably 300 to 400 nm, even more preferably 350 to 400 nm, and most preferably about 365 nm) in the presence of an oxidizing agent (preferably a perchlorate or persulfate oxidizing agent, preferably a persulfate oxidizing agent, and most preferably sodium persulfate). It will be appreciated that many gelling agents, particularly polyamide gelling agents, can be modified to have groups capable of undergoing the UV crosslinking discussed above (groups such as tyrosine).

[0035] Accordingly, typically, when the gelling agent is a gelling agent that is susceptible to crosslinking under UV light, the fluid containing the gelling agent comprises both a photocatalyst (as defined above) and an oxidizing agent (as defined above). Typically, the photocatalyst is present in the fluid containing the gelling agent in an amount of 0.05 to 20 mM, preferably 0.1 to 10 mM, more preferably 0.5 to 5 mM, even more preferably 0.7 to 2 mM, and most preferably about 1 mM. Similarly, the oxidizing agent is present in the fluid containing the gelling agent in an amount of 0.2 to 50 mM, preferably 0.5 to 20 mM, more preferably 1 to 10 mM, even more preferably 3 to 7 mM, and most preferably about 5 mM.

[0036] The use of a gelling agent (such as silk fibroin) that is susceptible to crosslinking under UV light is particularly advantageous in that it allows remote control of gelation. This is particularly advantageous in the context of remote activation of the power source of the present invention, where crosslinking can rupture the amphiphilic membrane of the power source of the present invention (as discussed further below). In principle, any number of gelling agents can be made susceptible to crosslinking under UV light by adding UV crosslinking groups known to those skilled in the art (that is, by modifying the gelling agent with groups such as alkenes (optionally conjugated to electron-withdrawing groups such as carbonyl groups or nitrile groups) or phenolic moieties (moieties such as those of tyrosine)).

[0037] Silk fibroin is further preferred because it possesses several physicochemical properties that make it particularly suitable for use as a matrix material in the power supply unit of the present invention. Specifically, silk fibroin (when gelled) exhibits elastic behavior, giving it flexibility and compressibility with an elastic modulus of about 10 kPa at 80% compression. Furthermore, it is biocompatible, biodegradable (as discussed further above), and has strong adhesion to tissues, and these properties are advantageous for biological applications. Typically, the polymerizable monomer or oligomeric gelling agent is gelled by polymerization, optionally in the presence of a crosslinking agent (e.g., carbodiimide or similar, or bisacrylamide (N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, etc.) or similar). The polymerization can be of any form (e.g., acid-catalyzed polymerization, base-catalyzed polymerization, or radical polymerization). However, typically, the polymerization is radical polymerization. In one embodiment, the polymerizable monomer or oligomeric gelling agent is acrylamide, which is gelled by UV light (together with a photoinitiator) in the presence of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide.

[0038] The gelling agent may be present in the droplet (fluid) at any concentration suitable for providing a gel. For example, the polymer gelling agent may be present in an amount of 0.1 to 50% w / v, preferably 0.5 to 25% w / v, more preferably 1 to 10% w / v, even more preferably 1.5 to 5% w / v, and most preferably about 2% w / v. The polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent may be present in an amount of 1 to 70% w / v, preferably 5 to 60% w / v, more preferably 20 to 50% w / v, and most preferably about 40% w / v. To avoid any doubt, if the droplet contains a gelling agent, the gelling agent is preferably not gelled or is only partially gelled (for example, to the extent that it gives only 10%, 20%, or 50% or less of the strength of the fully gelled form).

[0039] Each of the one or more high-salt fluids contains one or more salts. Preferably, the total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is independently 10 M to 0.2 M, preferably 5 M to 0.5 M, more preferably 4 M to 1 M, and even more preferably 2.5 M to 1.5 M. Most preferably, the total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is about 2 M.

[0040] Each of the one or more salt-diffusing fluids either contains no salt or contains one or more salts. Therefore, in one embodiment, each of the one or more salt-diffusing fluids contains no salt. In another embodiment, each of the one or more salt-diffusing fluids contains one or more salts.

[0041] When the one or more salt-diffusing fluids contain one or more salts, the total concentration of the one or more salts in the one or more salt-diffusing fluids is independently 0.05 M to 0.001 M, preferably 0.03 M to 0.002 M, more preferably 0.02 M to 0.005 M, and even more preferably 0.015 to 0.005 M. Most preferably, the total concentration of the one or more salts in the one or more salt-diffusing fluids is about 0.01 M. In addition, or alternatively, if the one or more salt-diffusing fluids contain one or more salts, the total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is independently 2000 to 1.1 times, preferably 1000 to 10 times, preferably 800 to 50 times, more preferably 500 to 100 times, and even more preferably 300 to 150 times higher than the total concentration of the one or more salts in the salt-diffusing fluid. Most preferably, the total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is about 200 times higher than the total concentration of the one or more salts in the salt-diffusing fluid.

[0042] Typically, the one or more salts (i.e., those contained in the one or more high-salt fluids, and also contained in the one or more salt-diffusing fluids if the one or more salt-diffusing fluids contain one or more salts) are each independently of formula A p+ n X q- m This is a salt represented by: A is selected from metal cations and organic cations. X is selected from halogen anions, inorganic anions and organic anions, and p, q, n, and m are integers between 1 and 4, where p × n = q × m.

[0043] Typically, the salt is soluble in a droplet medium. Therefore, preferably, the salt is soluble in water. Preferably, the metal cation is a cation of a metal in Group I to Group XV of the periodic table. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Sc, Y, Lu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Re, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, and P. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, Rb, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Cr, Mo, Mn, Tc, Fe, Ru, Co, Rh, Ni, Pd, Cu, Ag, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Sb. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al, Ga, and Ge. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, and Ca. In the most preferred embodiment, the metal cation is a cation of Ca (i.e., Ca 2+ )

[0044] Preferably, the organic cation is an organic cation of a carbon-based molecule (preferably a carbon-based molecule with a molecular weight of less than 500 g / mol, more preferably less than 400 g / mol, and most preferably less than 300 g / mol). Preferably, the organic cation of the carbon-based molecule is a molecule having at least one of the following cationic groups:

[0045] [ka]

[0046] More preferably, the molecule has one of the following cationic groups.

[0047] [ka]

[0048] Here, * represents a bond point to the remainder of the molecule. Each R is independently H or C 1-6 Alkyl (preferably C) 1-3 Selected from alkyl (more preferably methyl), and most preferably methyl.

[0049] Preferably, each * is independently and optionally substituted with C 1-6 Alkyl alkyl groups, optionally substituted C 3-14 The bond site is indicated to a carbocyclic group or a group selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted 5-14 membered heterocyclic groups having 1-4 heteroatoms selected from O, N, and S. Alternatively, the two * symbols indicate a bond site within an optionally substituted 5-14 membered heterocyclic group having 1-4 heteroatoms selected from O, N, and S, where at least one heteroatom is N.

[0050] Typically, one or two substituents may be present on each of the above arbitrary substituents. More typically, one substituent is present on each of the above groups.

[0051] Preferably, the substituent is independently one of the cationic groups defined above, a halogen, or C 1-6 alkyl, OH, OC 1-6 Alkyl, -NH2, NHC 1-6 Alkyl, N(C 1-6 Alkyl)2, CN, NO2, COOH, COOC 1-6 Alkyl, CONH2, CONHC 1-6 Alkyl, CON(C 1-6 Alkyl)2, SO2NH2, SO2NHC 1-6 Alkyl and SO2N(C 1-6 Selected from the group consisting of alkyl)2, where preferably each C 1-6 Alkyl is C 1-3 It is alkyl. More preferably, the substituent is independently one of the cationic groups defined above, a halogen, C 1-3 alkyl, OH, OC 1-3 Alkyl, -NH2, NHC 1-3 Alkyl, N(C 1-3 Alkyl)2, CN, COOH and COOC 1-3 Selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups.

[0052] Most preferably, the organic cation is an ammonium cation, a tetramethylammonium cation, a pyronine Y cation, i.e.

[0053] [ka]

[0054] Alternatively, GABA cation, i.e.

[0055] [ka]

[0056] It is a cation selected from among them. A is most preferably selected from metal cations.

[0057] Preferably, the halogen anion is selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, and iodide. More preferably, the halogen anion is selected from fluoride, chloride, and bromide. Most preferably, the halogen anion is chloride.

[0058] Preferably, the inorganic anion is ClO4 - BF4 - NO3 - NO2 - , PO4 3- HPO4 2- H2PO4 - NCS - PF6 - SiF6 - SbF6 - 5CN - CF3SO3 - SO4 2- and N3 - An anion selected from the group consisting of the following. More preferably, the inorganic anion is BF4 - NO3 - NO2 - , PO4 3- HPO4 2- H2PO4 - PF6 - SiF6 - CF3SO3 - and SO4 2- It is an anion selected from the group consisting of [the specified elements].

[0059] Preferably, the organic anion is of formula RSO3, as is well known to those skilled in the art. - It is an anion represented by . However, usually R is C 1-3 It is an alkyl group or an optionally substituted phenyl group. Preferably, R is a methyl group or an optionally substituted phenyl group. The optional substituents of the phenyl group are halogens (preferably fluorine, chloride, bromide, or iodide), NO2, or C 1-3The substituent may be one or two substituents selected from alkyl (preferably methyl), most preferably one methyl substituent. Most preferably, the organic anion is selected from mesylate, tosylate, and nosylate. X is most preferably selected from halogen anions.

[0060] The one or more salts can be advantageously selected independently from lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, pyronine Y chloride, or GABA chloride. More preferably, the one or more salts can be selected independently from lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride. Most preferably, only one salt is used, and the salt used is calcium chloride.

[0061] Preferably, the cation-selective fluid comprises one or more polymers having one or more anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer backbone, which are also referred to herein as anionic polymers. In principle, any anionic polymer can be used in the present invention. The anionic polymer may be a homopolymer or a copolymer. The anionic groups in the anionic polymer can be introduced into the polymer by direct polymerization of anionic monomers or by post-treatment of a neutral polymer.

[0062] Preferably, at least 10% (e.g., at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, or at least 50%) of the monomer units in the anionic polymer contain anionic groups. More preferably, at least 70% of the monomer units in the anionic polymer contain anionic groups. Even more preferably, at least 90% of the monomer units in the anionic polymer contain anionic groups. Most preferably, all of the monomer units in the anionic polymer contain anionic groups.

[0063] The anionic group within the monomer unit is preferably a carboxylate group or a sulfonate group, and most preferably a sulfonate.

[0064] Suitable monomer units containing anionic groups include, for example, polystyrene monomer units having a sulfonate or carboxylate group on the benzene ring, polypeptide monomer units having a carboxylate group (i.e., aspartic acid monomer units or glutamic acid monomer units), polyacrylamide monomer units having a sulfonate or carboxylate group, and polyacrylate monomer units. Therefore, a typical monomer unit is represented by the following formula.

[0065] [ka]

[0066] Here, n is an integer between 0 and 3 (preferably 1 or 2), m is an integer from 1 to 4 (preferably 2 or 3), p is an integer between 0 and 2 (preferably 0), R 1 and R 2 These are, independently, H or C 1-3 Selected from alkyl (preferably methyl), R 3 These are, independently, halogens (preferably Cl or Br) and C 1-3 Selected from alkyl (preferably methyl).

[0067] The preferred monomer unit is the unit represented by the following formula.

[0068] [ka]

[0069] Here, n is an integer between 0 and 3 (preferably 1 or 2), and, R 3 These are, independently, halogens (preferably Cl or Br) and C 1-3 Selected from alkyl (preferably methyl).

[0070] A particularly preferred monomer unit is the unit represented by the following formula.

[0071] [ka]

[0072] Typically, the anionic group has one or more countercations to maintain charge neutrality. The cations may be any of the cations defined above in relation to the one or more salts. However, preferably, the cations are metal cations (most preferably Li + na + , or K + ) or ammonium cation (i.e., NR4 + Here, each R is independently H or C 1-6 Alkyl, preferably H or C 1-3 It is alkyl (most preferably H or methyl).

[0073] Particularly preferred anionic polymers (i.e., polymers having anionic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer backbone) include poly(4-sodium styrene sulfonate), poly(3-sodium styrene sulfonate), poly(2-sodium styrene sulfonate), poly-L-sodium glutamate, poly-L-sodium aspartate, poly(2-acrylamino-2-methylpropane sulfonate), poly(sodium acrylate), poly(4-potassium styrene sulfonate), poly(3-potassium styrene sulfonate), poly(2-potassium styrene sulfonate), and poly-L-potassium glutamate. These are poly-L-potassium aspartate, poly(2-acrylamino-2-methylpropanesulfonate potassium), poly(2-acrylamino-2-methylpropanesulfonate sodium), poly(potassium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly-L-ammonium glutamate, poly-L-aspartate ammonium, poly(2-acrylamino-2-methylpropanesulfonate ammonium), poly(2-acrylamino-2-methylpropanesulfonate ammonium), and poly(ammonium acrylate). More preferably, the anionic polymer (i.e., a polymer having anionic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer main chain) is poly(4-styrenesulfonate sodium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate sodium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate sodium), poly-L-glutamate sodium, poly-L-aspartate sodium, poly(sodium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly-L-glutamate potassium, poly-L-aspartate potassium, poly(potassium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly-L-glutamate ammonium, poly-L-aspartate ammonium, and poly(ammonium acrylate).Particularly preferred are the anionic polymer (i.e., a polymer having anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer backbone) poly(4-styrenesulfonate sodium), poly(4-styrenesulfonate potassium), and poly(4-styrenesulfonate ammonium). Most preferably, only one type of anionic polymer is used, and the anionic polymer is poly(4-styrenesulfonate sodium).

[0074] The concentration of one or more polymers having anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer backbone in the cation-selective fluid is not limited. However, the anionic polymer is usually present at a concentration of 1-50% w / v, preferably 5-40% w / v, more preferably 10-30% w / v, and most preferably about 20% w / v.

[0075] The molecular weight of one or more polymers in the cation-selective fluid that have anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain is not limited. However, typically, the anionic polymer has a weight-average molecular weight of about 10,000 to 200,000 g / mol, preferably about 20,000 to 150,000 g / mol, more preferably about 30,000 to 100,000 g / mol, and most preferably about 40,000 to 80,000 g / mol.

[0076] Preferably, the anion-selective fluid comprises one or more polymers having cationic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer backbone, which are also referred to herein as cationic polymers. In principle, any cationic polymer, including those discussed in Chem. Soc. Rev., 2012, 41, 7147-7194, can be used in the present invention. The cationic polymer may be a homopolymer or a copolymer. The cationic groups in the cationic polymer can be introduced into the polymer either by direct polymerization of cationic monomers or by post-treatment of a neutral polymer.

[0077] Preferably, at least 10% (e.g., at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, or at least 50%) of the monomer units in the cationic polymer contain cationic groups. More preferably, at least 70% of the monomer units in the cationic polymer contain cationic groups. Even more preferably, at least 90% of the cationic units in the cationic polymer contain cationic groups. Most preferably, all of the monomer units in the cationic polymer contain cationic groups.

[0078] The cation group within the monomer unit is preferably an imidazolium group, an ammonium group, or a guanidinium group, and most preferably an ammonium group.

[0079] Suitable monomer units containing a cationic group include, for example, polypeptide monomer units having an imidazolium group, an ammonium group, or a guanidinium group (i.e., histidine monomer units, lysine monomer units, or arginine monomer units), polyacrylamide monomer units having an ammonium group, cyclic ammonium monomer units, and allylammonium monomer units. Therefore, a typical monomer unit is represented by the following formula.

[0080] [ka]

[0081] Here, n is an integer from 1 to 4. m is an integer from 1 to 4 (preferably 2 or 3), p and o are integers between 0 and 2, where p+o is at least 2 (preferably p and o are each 1). R, R 1 and R 2 These are, independently, H or C 1-3 Selected from alkyl (preferably methyl).

[0082] The preferred monomer unit is the unit represented by the following formula.

[0083] [ka]

[0084] Here, n is an integer from 1 to 4. p and o are integers between 0 and 2, where p+o is at least 2 (preferably p and o are each 1). R is independently H or C 1-3 Selected from alkyl (preferably methyl). A particularly preferred monomer unit is the unit represented by the following formula.

[0085] [ka]

[0086] Typically, the cationic group has one or more counteranions to maintain charge neutrality. The anions can be any of the anions defined above in relation to the one or more salts. However, preferably, the anions are halogen anions or inorganic anions. Particularly preferably, the anions are halogen anions, and most preferably chlorides or bromides.

[0087] Particularly preferred cationic polymers (i.e., polymers having cationic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer backbone) are poly-L-lysine hydrochloride, poly-L-histidine hydrochloride, poly-L-arginine hydrochloride, poly(3-acrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium chloride), poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), poly(allylamine hydrochloride), poly-L-lysine hydrobromide, poly-L-histidine hydrobromide, poly-L-arginine hydrobromide, poly(3-acrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium bromide), poly(diallyldimethylammonium bromide), and poly(allylamine hydrobromide). More preferably, the cationic polymer is poly-L-lysine hydrochloride, poly-L-histidine hydrochloride, poly-L-arginine hydrochloride, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), poly(allylamine hydrochloride), poly-L-lysine hydrobromide, poly-L-histidine hydrobromide, poly-L-arginine hydrobromide, poly(diallyldimethylammonium bromide), and poly(allylamine hydrobromide). Particularly preferably, the cationic polymer (i.e., a polymer having cationic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer backbone) is poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(allylamine hydrobromide). Most preferably, only one cationic polymer is used, and the cationic polymer is poly(allylamine hydrochloride).

[0088] The concentration of one or more polymers having cationic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer backbone in the anion-selective fluid is not limited. However, typically the cationic polymer is present at a concentration of 1-50% w / v, preferably 5-40% w / v, more preferably 10-30% w / v, and most preferably about 20% w / v.

[0089] The molecular weight of one or more polymers in the anion-selective fluid that have cationic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain is not limited. However, typically, the cationic polymer has a weight-average molecular weight of about 10,000 to 200,000 g / mol, preferably about 20,000 to 150,000 g / mol, more preferably about 30,000 to 100,000 g / mol, and most preferably about 40,000 to 80,000 g / mol.

[0090] Preferably, the droplets of the power supply unit of the present invention are biocompatible droplets. More appropriately, the biocompatible droplets are droplets that satisfy the following conditions: (a) The droplet medium is water, (b) Each of the one or more gelling agents (if any) is a polymer gelling agent as defined above (where preferably the polymer gelling agent is a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably agarose), (c) The one or more salts are nontoxic (and preferably lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, pyronine Y chloride or GABA chloride; more preferably, the one or more salts are independently selected from lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride and calcium chloride; most preferably, only one salt is used and the salt used is calcium chloride); and (d) The cationic polymer and the anionic polymer are not polymers having polyacrylamide monomer units (and preferably the cationic polymer is poly-L-lysine hydrochloride, poly-L-histidine hydrochloride, poly-L-arginine hydrochloride, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), poly(allylamine hydrochloride), poly-L-lysine hydrobromide, poly-L-histidine hydrobromide, poly-L-arginine hydrobromide, poly(diallyldimethylammonium bromide) and poly(allylamine hydrobromide); and preferably the anionic polymer is poly(4-sodium styrenesulfonate), poly(3-sodium styrenesulfonate) These are poly(ammonium acrylate), poly(2-styrenesulfonate sodium), poly-L-glutamate sodium, poly-L-aspartate sodium, poly(sodium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly-L-glutamate potassium, poly-L-aspartate potassium, poly(potassium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly-L-glutamate ammonium, poly-L-aspartate ammonium, and poly(ammonium acrylate).

[0091] Typically, the amphiphilic membrane is a layer formed from amphiphilic molecules having both at least one hydrophilic portion and at least one lipophilic or hydrophobic portion. The amphiphilic layer may be a single layer or a double layer, and is usually a double layer. The amphiphilic molecules may be of synthetic or natural origin, and are usually lipids, surfactants, and block copolymer-type amphiphilic substances. Preferably, the amphiphilic molecules are lipids or block copolymer-type amphiphilic substances, more preferably lipids, and most preferably phospholipids.

[0092] Non-natural amphiphilic substances and amphiphilic substances that form monolayers are known in the art, including, for example, block copolymers (Gonzalez-Perez et al., Langmuir, 2009, 25, 10447-10450).

[0093] In some embodiments, the membrane comprises one or more archaeal bipolar tetraether lipids or their mimics. Such lipids are commonly found in extremophiles that survive in harsh biological environments, such as thermophiles, halophiles, and acidophiles. Their stability is thought to derive from the fusion properties of the final bilayer. It is easy to construct block copolymer materials that mimic these bio-derived entities by creating triblock polymers having a common hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hydrophilic motif. These materials can form monomeric membranes that behave similarly to lipid bilayers and encompass a range of phase behaviors from vesicles to lamellar membranes.

[0094] A block copolymer is a polymer material in which two or more monomer subunits polymerize together to form a single polymer chain. Block copolymers typically possess properties derived from each monomer subunit. However, block copolymers may possess unique properties not found in polymers formed from individual subunits. A block copolymer can be designed such that one monomer subunit is hydrophobic (i.e., lipophilic) and the other subunit is hydrophilic in an aqueous medium. In this case, the block copolymer has amphiphilic properties and can form structures that mimic biological membranes. The block copolymer may be a diblock (consisting of two monomer subunits), but may also be composed of more than two monomer subunits, forming more complex arrangements that behave as amphiphilic substances. The copolymer may be a triblock, tetrablock, or pentablock copolymer. Typically, the copolymer is a triblock copolymer containing two monomer subunits, A and B, in the arrangement ABA; typically, the A monomer subunit is hydrophilic and the B subunit is hydrophobic.

[0095] The aforementioned amphiphilic layer is typically a planar lipid bilayer or a supporting bilayer. The amphiphilic layer is typically a lipid bilayer. Lipid bilayers serve as a model of cell membranes and function as an excellent platform for a wide range of experimental studies. For example, lipid bilayer membranes can be used for in vitro analysis of membrane proteins by single-channel recording. Alternatively, lipid bilayers can be used as biosensors for detecting the presence of various substances. The lipid bilayer can be any lipid bilayer. Suitable lipid bilayers include, but are not limited to, planar lipid bilayers, supported bilayers, or liposomes. The lipid bilayer is typically a planar lipid bilayer. Suitable lipid bilayers are disclosed in WO2008 / 102121, WO2009 / 077734, and WO2006 / 100484.

[0096] Any lipid composition that forms a lipid bilayer can be used. Lipids typically include a head group, an interface, and two hydrophobic tail groups, which may be the same or different. Suitable head groups include, but are not limited to, neutral head groups (such as diacylglycerides (DG) and ceramides (CM)); zwitterionic head groups (such as phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and sphingomyelin (SM)); negatively charged head groups (such as phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA), and cardiolipin (CA)); and positively charged head groups (such as trimethylammonium propane (TAP)). Suitable interface groups include, but are not limited to, naturally derived interface groups such as glycerol-based or ceramide-based parts. Suitable hydrophobic tail groups include, but are not limited to, saturated hydrocarbon chains such as lauric acid (n-dodecanoic acid), myristic acid (n-tetradecanoic acid), palmitic acid (n-hexadecanoic acid), stearic acid (n-octadecanoic acid), and arachidic acid (n-eicosanoic acid); unsaturated hydrocarbon chains such as oleic acid (cis-9-octadecanoic acid); and branched hydrocarbon chains such as phytanoyl. The chain length and the position and number of double bonds in unsaturated hydrocarbon chains can vary. The chain length and the position and number of branches such as methyl groups in branched hydrocarbon chains can also vary. The hydrophobic tail group may be bonded to the interface as an ether or ester. The lipid may also be mycolic acid. In the present invention, the lipid is particularly preferably a phospholipid, and most preferably 2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC).

[0097] The lipids may be chemically modified. The head group or tail group of the lipids may be chemically modified. Suitable lipids with chemically modified head groups include, but are not limited to, PEG-modified lipids, such as 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000]; functionalized PEG lipids, such as 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[biotinyl(polyethylene glycol)2000]; and lipids modified for conjugation, such as 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(succinyl) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(biotinyl). Suitable lipids with chemically modified tail groups include, but are not limited to, polymerizable lipids such as 1,2-bis(10,12-tricosadiinoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; fluorinated lipids such as 1-palmitoyl-2-(16-fluoropalmitoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; deuterated lipids such as 1,2-dipalmitoyl-D62-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; and ether-binding lipids such as 1,2-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The lipids may be chemically modified or functionalized to facilitate binding with polynucleotides.

[0098] Other components that affect the properties of the amphiphilic layer, such as fatty acids (palmitic acid, myristic acid, and oleic acid, etc.); aliphatic alcohols (palmityl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, and oleyl alcohol, etc.); sterols (cholesterol, ergosterol, lanosterol, sitosterol, and stigmasterol, etc.); lysophosphoripides (1-acyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, etc.); and ceramides, can also be incorporated.

[0099] Methods for forming lipid bilayers are known in the art. Suitable methods are disclosed in the examples. Lipid bilayers are generally formed by the Montal and Mueller method (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 1972; 69: 3561-3566), in which a lipid monolayer is supported on an aqueous solution / air interface and passes through both sides of an opening perpendicular to the interface. The Montal and Mueller method is widely used because it is a cost-effective and relatively simple method for forming a good quality lipid bilayer suitable for insertion of protein pores. Other common methods for bilayer formation include bilayer formation by tip-dipping, painting, and the patch-clamp method for liposome bilayers. The lipid bilayer may be formed as described in WO 2009 / 077734. The lipid bilayer may also be a droplet interface bilayer formed between two or more aqueous droplets, each containing a lipid shell, in which case, when the droplets come into contact, the lipid bilayer is formed at the droplet interface.

[0100] Any of the amphiphilic membranes, compounds, or layers discussed above can be used in the present invention. The volume of each droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention is typically 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the volume of each droplet is approximately 1.84 nL.

[0101] Preferably, at least one droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention contains magnetic particles. More preferably, all droplets in the power supply unit of the present invention contain magnetic particles. The magnetic particles are, for example, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3) or nickel (Ni) particles. In one embodiment, the magnetic particles are iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3). In another embodiment, the magnetic particles are nickel (Ni) particles. These magnetic particles advantageously enable the power supply unit of the present invention to be moved remotely using a magnetic field.

[0102] Power supply unit (2) As discussed above, the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is One or more first droplets, and One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, This power supply unit is characterized by each droplet being separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0103] The power supply unit of the present invention is therefore a form of battery in an inert state and contains a potential energy difference across a barrier that can be selectively permeable. In one embodiment, the barrier is an amphiphilic membrane between a first droplet and a second droplet. However, in a preferred embodiment, the barrier is a separator droplet. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply unit is a power supply unit comprising a droplet row, wherein the droplet row is in this order or the reverse order. (a) one or more first droplets, (b) One or more separator droplets, and (c) One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0104] As discussed above, those skilled in the art will understand that, in principle, any battery chemistry can be used within the power supply unit of the present invention to provide a potential energy difference between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the potential energy difference is the relative stability of ions in different ion donor / acceptor materials (i.e., the chemical potential energy difference between when an ion is present in one ion donor / acceptor material and when it is present in another ion donor / acceptor material, as in a "rocking chair" system). This potential energy difference can be converted into an electromotive force across the barrier when the barrier is made permeable to the ion (e.g., by introducing a channel into an amphiphilic membrane or by using an ion-permeable separator droplet). Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the first droplet is a droplet of one or more discharge cathode fluids containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, and the second droplet is a droplet of discharge anode fluids containing a second ion donor / acceptor material (where the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material each donate / accept the same ion, one of the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, and the other of the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material is a discharge ion donor material). Thus, there is a driving force for the ion to diffuse across the barrier from the discharge ion donor material (i.e., the material in which the ion is in a higher chemical potential environment) to the discharge ion acceptor material (i.e., the material in which the ion is in a lower chemical potential environment).

[0105] It should be noted that "discharge cathode fluid" and "discharge anode fluid" are so named because they are fluids that act as the cathode and anode, respectively, during discharge. Therefore, it will be understood that the discharge cathode fluid acts as the anode (i.e., the anode fluid) during recharging. Similarly, it will be understood that the discharge anode fluid acts as the cathode (i.e., the cathode fluid) during recharging.

[0106] The fact that the fluid has the property of alternately acting as a cathode and anode during discharge and recharge is the reason why the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material are so named and assigned as a discharge ion acceptor material and a discharge ion donor material. During discharge, one of the first and second ion donor / acceptor materials acts as an ion acceptor material (usually, i.e., if the ions of the ion donor / acceptor material are cations, this is the first ion donor / acceptor material, i.e., the ion donor / acceptor material in the discharge cathode fluid), and the other acts as an ion donor material (usually, i.e., if the ions of the ion donor / acceptor material are cations, this is the second ion donor / acceptor material, i.e., the ion donor / acceptor material in the discharge anode fluid). However, during recharging, the first ion donor / acceptor material switches roles (therefore, normally, i.e., when the ions of the ion donor / acceptor material are cations, the first ion donor / acceptor material (in the discharge cathode fluid) acts as the ion donor, and the second ion donor / acceptor material (in the discharge anode fluid) acts as the ion acceptor).

[0107] Therefore, the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is in this order or the reverse order, (a) One or more droplets of a discharge cathode fluid containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material Includes, Here, -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and It is preferable that each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0108] In this case, one or more droplets of the one or more separator fluids described above are separator droplets.

[0109] In one embodiment, the power supply unit may be arranged in a circular shape. In this embodiment, the droplet rows are arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of a discharge cathode fluid containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, (c) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, and (d) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids Includes, At least one of the one or more droplets in (d) above is in contact with the one or more droplets in (a) above, Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0110] In the power supply unit of the present invention, an increased current can be obtained by arranging multiple droplet rows in parallel as appropriate. Therefore, it is preferable that the power supply unit includes multiple droplet rows, and that the multiple droplet rows are arranged in parallel such that droplets of the same type within each droplet row are adjacent to each other.

[0111] Similarly, the droplet rows can be arranged in series to increase the voltage of the power supply unit. Specifically, in one embodiment, the droplet row includes a further optionally repeated subrow of droplets between the one or more droplets of (a) and the one or more droplets of (b), wherein the subrow of droplets is in this order. (i) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, (ii) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, (iii) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, (iv) One or more droplets of a discharge cathode fluid containing the first ion donor / acceptor material Includes.

[0112] As discussed above, in a broader embodiment of the power supply of the present invention, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets are each preferably droplets of fluid. More preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets are each preferably droplets of fluid that are a solution or suspension in a droplet medium, of which the solution in the droplet medium is most preferred.

[0113] Similarly, the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids are each a solution or suspension in a droplet medium.

[0114] As described above, the droplet medium may be any liquid medium that is immiscible with one or more other liquid media, and thus may be a fluorinated solvent, an organic solvent, an oil (e.g., one or more mineral oils, vegetable oils (such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocado oil or sunflower oil) or synthetic oils (such as polyalphaolefins or silicone oils), preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 hydrocarbon, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbon) and / or a silicone oil (preferably polydi(C 1-6 alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C 1-6 alkyl)siloxane), most preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane, or water. Suitably, the droplet medium is oil or water. The droplet medium is most preferably water.

[0115] Preferably, the power unit of the present invention is suspended in a suspension medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, and thus the suspension medium may also be any liquid medium that is immiscible with one or more other liquid media, and therefore may be a fluorinated solvent, an organic solvent, an oil (e.g., one or more mineral oils, vegetable oils (such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocado oil or sunflower oil) or synthetic oils (such as polyalphaolefins or silicone oils), preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 hydrocarbon, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbon) and / or a silicone oil (preferably polydi(C 1-6 alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C 1-6 alkyl)siloxane), even more preferably hexadecane, undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane, most preferably hexadecane), or water. Suitably, the suspension medium is oil or water. The suspension medium is preferably oil. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the droplet medium is water, and the suspension medium is a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 hydrocarbon, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbon) and / or a silicone oil (preferably polydi(C1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6 The alkyl siloxane is more preferably hexadecane, undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane, and most preferably hexadecane.

[0116] As discussed above, in a broader embodiment of the power supply of the present invention, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets each preferably contain one or more gelling agents. More preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets each contain the same one or more gelling agents. Even more preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets each contain one gelling agent, most preferably the same one gelling agent.

[0117] Similarly, the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each preferably contain one or more gelling agents. More preferably, the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each contain one or more gelling agents, and each contains the same one or more gelling agents. Even more preferably, the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each contain one gelling agent, most preferably the same one gelling agent.

[0118] Preferably, each gelling agent is a polymer, polymerizable monomer, or oligomer. Since the droplet medium is most preferably water, the gelling agent is preferably a hydrogel gelling agent. Typically, the polymer gelling agent is selected from polysaccharides (agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose, and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (DNA and RNA, etc.), polyamides (collagen, gelatin, and silk fibroin, most preferably silk fibroin), polyphenols (ligin, etc.), polyesters (polycaprolactone and polylactic acid, etc.), polyethers (polyethylene glycol, etc.), vinyl polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinyl acetate, etc.), acrylate polymers (polyacrylic acid, etc.), and acrylamide polymers (polyacrylamide, etc.). The polymer gelling agent may be a copolymer or grafted form of one or more of the above polymers, and may contain functional groups (such as acryloyl groups) that enable the polymer to be crosslinked. Preferably, the polymer gelling agent is a polysaccharide, polynucleic acid, polyamide, or polyphenol. More preferably, the polymer gelling agent is a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably silk fibroin. Polysaccharides and polyamides (such as agarose and silk fibroin) are particularly preferred because they can be easily digested by, for example, agarase and peptidase, respectively. As a result, the power source of the present invention has advantageous degradability, specifically biodegradability.

[0119] Typically, the polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent is a compound having one or more polymerizable groups, and the compound is preferably a compound having one or more groups selected from a carboxylic acid group, an aldehyde group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an epoxy group, an alkenyl group, and an alkynyl group. More preferably, the polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent is a compound having an alkenyl group conjugated to one or more electron-withdrawing groups (preferably a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, or an amide group), and is particularly preferably methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and acrylamide, most preferably acrylamide.

[0120] Most preferably, the gelling agent is a polymer gelling agent. The gelling agent can be gelled by any means known to those skilled in the art. For example, the polymer gelling agent can be gelled by heating, cooling, or crosslinking (using chemical agents (such as glutaraldehyde and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) and / or by ultraviolet light). In one embodiment, the polymer gelling agent is agarose, which is gelled by cooling (for example, below 37°C, preferably below 25°C, more preferably below 10°C, preferably to about 4°C). In another embodiment, the polymer gelling agent is silk fibroin, which is gelled by UV light. In one embodiment, the silk fibroin is a photocatalyst (preferably a homogeneous photocatalyst, preferably an iridium or ruthenium photocatalyst, most preferably Ru(II)(bpy)3) 2+The gel is formed by crosslinking tyrosine residues within the silk fibroin protein backbone with UV light (i.e., light with a wavelength of 100-400 nm, preferably 200-400 nm, more preferably 300-400 nm, even more preferably 350-400 nm, most preferably about 365 nm) in the presence of an oxidizing agent (preferably a perchlorate or persulfate oxidizing agent, preferably a persulfate oxidizing agent, most preferably sodium persulfate) using UV light. It will be understood that many gelling agents, especially polyamide gelling agents, can be modified to have groups (such as tyrosine) that can undergo the UV crosslinking discussed above.

[0121] Therefore, when the gelling agent is a gelling agent that is easily crosslinked under UV light, the fluid containing the gelling agent typically contains both a photocatalyst (as defined above) and an oxidizing agent (as defined above). Typically, the photocatalyst is present in the fluid containing the gelling agent in an amount of 0.05 to 20 mM, preferably 0.1 to 10 mM, more preferably 0.5 to 5 mM, even more preferably 0.7 to 2 mM, and most preferably about 1 mM. Similarly, the oxidizing agent is present in the fluid containing the gelling agent in an amount of 0.2 to 50 mM, preferably 0.5 to 20 mM, more preferably 1 to 10 mM, even more preferably 3 to 7 mM, and most preferably about 5 mM.

[0122] The use of gelling agents that readily crosslink under UV light (such as silk fibroin) is particularly advantageous in that it enables remote control of gelation. This is particularly advantageous in the context of remote activation of the power supply of the present invention, in which case the amphiphilic membrane of the power supply of the present invention can be broken by crosslinking (as will be further discussed below). In principle, any number of gelling agents can be made readily crosslinked under UV light by adding UV crosslinking groups known to those skilled in the art (i.e., by modifying the gelling agent with groups such as alkenes (optionally conjugated to electron-withdrawing groups such as carbonyl or nitrile groups) or phenolic moieties (such as tyrosine moieties).

[0123] Silk fibroin is further preferred in that it possesses several physicochemical properties, making it particularly suitable for use as a matrix material in the power supply unit of the present invention. Specifically, silk fibroin (when gelled) exhibits elastic behavior, giving it flexibility and compressibility with an elastic modulus of approximately 10 kPa at 80% compression. Furthermore, it possesses biocompatibility, biodegradability (as further discussed above), and strong adhesion to tissues, properties that are advantageous for biological applications. In addition, crosslinked silk fibroin enables stable support of particulate matter such as first / second ion donor / acceptor materials and / or electron conductive materials (as further discussed below). Crosslinked silk fibroin also exhibits improved cation selectivity due to its negatively charged amino acids (average zeta potential -20.2 mV), making it a particularly useful matrix material when battery chemistry is based on the relative stability of ions in different ion donor / acceptor materials, and when the ions are cationic.

[0124] Typically, the polymerizable monomer or oligomeric gelling agent is gelled by polymerization in the presence of an optional crosslinking agent (e.g., carbodiimide or similar, or bisacrylamide (N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, etc.) or similar). The polymerization can be of any form (e.g., acid-catalyzed polymerization, base-catalyzed polymerization, or radical polymerization). However, the polymerization is usually radical polymerization. In one embodiment, the polymerizable monomer or oligomeric gelling agent is acrylamide, which is gelled by UV light (together with a photoinitiator) in the presence of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide.

[0125] The gelling agent may be present in the droplet (fluid) at any concentration suitable for providing a gel. For example, the polymer gelling agent may be present in an amount of 0.1 to 50% w / v, preferably 0.5 to 25% w / v, more preferably 1 to 10% w / v, even more preferably 1.5 to 7% w / v, and most preferably about 5% w / v. The polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent may be present in an amount of 1 to 70% w / v, preferably 5 to 60% w / v, more preferably 20 to 50% w / v, and most preferably about 40% w / v.

[0126] To avoid any doubt, if the droplet contains a gelling agent, the gelling agent is preferably not gelled or is only partially gelled (for example, to the extent that it gives only 10%, 20%, or 50% or less of the strength of the fully gelled form). The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids may each contain a viscosity increasing agent. Preferably, the viscosity increasing agent is polyethylene glycol, typically polyethylene glycol with an average molecular weight of 200 to 600 g / mol, preferably 300 to 500 g / mol, and more preferably about 400 g / mol.

[0127] Typically, the viscosity increasing agent is present in the fluid in an amount of 0.5 to 40 v / v%, preferably 1 to 30 v / v%, more preferably 5 to 20 v / v%, and most preferably about 10 v / v%.

[0128] The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids at low temperatures may each contain a surfactant. Preferably, the surfactant is a nonionic surfactant such as a polyol-based surfactant, for example, Pluronic F-68.

[0129] Typically, the surfactant is present in the fluid in an amount of 0.05 to 5 w / v%, preferably 0.1 to 2 w / v%, more preferably 0.2 to 1 w / v%, and most preferably about 0.5 w / v%.

[0130] To facilitate electron transfer throughout the discharge cathode fluid and the discharge anode fluid, each of the one or more discharge cathode fluids and the one or more discharge anode fluids contains one or more electron-conducting materials. Preferably, each of the one or more discharge cathode fluids and the one or more discharge anode fluids contains one electron-conducting material. More preferably, each of the one or more discharge cathode fluids and the one or more discharge anode fluids contains the same electron-conducting material.

[0131] Typically, each electron-conducting material is selected from carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanodiamonds, carbon nanohorns, carbon nanofibers, etc., preferably carbon nanotubes), nanowires (nickel, platinum, gold, and silver nanowires, etc., preferably silver nanowires), or conductive polymers (poly(acetylene), poly(p-phenylenevinylene), poly(pyrrole), poly(aniline), poly(thiophene), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), and poly(p-phenylene sulfide), etc., preferably poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)). Preferably, the electron-conducting material is a carbon nanomaterial or a conductive polymer. More preferably, the electron-conducting material is a carbon nanomaterial, and most preferably a carbon nanotube.

[0132] If the electron-conducting material is a conductive polymer, the conductive polymer may be modified to increase its solubility in water. For example, the conductive polymer may be modified with an acidic group (such as a carboxylic acid group or a sulfate group) or a basic group (such as an amino group) to increase its solubility in water.

[0133] Alternatively, if the electron-conducting material is a conductive polymer, the conductive polymer may exist as a mixture with a second polymer having good solubility in water. Advantageously, since the conductive polymer is partially oxidized to impart its conductivity, the second polymer usually has anionic groups. Therefore, the second polymer is typically a polymer having anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer backbone, as defined above (where at least some of the countercations are substituted to favor the cationic behavior of the partially oxidized conductive polymer). Most preferably, the second polymer is a poly-2-styrene sulfonate, i.e., a polymer having monomer units represented by the following formula.

[0134] [ka]

[0135] Preferably, if the electron-conducting material is a conductive polymer, the conductive polymer is a mixture of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and poly2-styrene sulfonate (i.e., PEDOT:PSS). Typically, the electron-conducting material is present in the droplet containing it in an amount of 5-60 v / v%, preferably 10-50 v / v%, more preferably 20-40 v / v%, and most preferably about 30 v / v%.

[0136] To promote the movement of ions in the discharge cathode fluid, the separator fluid, and the discharge anode fluid (thus, to promote the diffusion of ions from the discharge ion donor material across the barrier (separator) to the discharge ion acceptor material when the power source is in an active state), the one or more discharge cathode fluids, the one or more separator fluids, and the one or more discharge anode fluids may each contain mobile ions, and the mobile ions are the same ions as those donated / accepted by the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material. Preferably, all of the one or more discharge cathode fluids, the one or more separator fluids, and the one or more discharge anode fluids contain mobile ions, and the mobile ions are the same ions as those donated / accepted by the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material.

[0137] Accordingly, the mobile ions can diffuse freely throughout the fluid in which they are contained. The specific type of ions depends on the nature of the battery chemistry, but as further discussed below, the ions may be cations (Al ions (Al 3+ ions), Ca ions (Ca 2+ ions), Li ions (Li + ions), Mg ions (Mg 2+ ions), K ions (K + ions), Na ions (Na + ions) and Zn ions (Zn 2+ ions), etc., preferably Li ions (Li + ions), Mg ions (Mg 2+ ions), K ions (K + ions), Na ions (Na + ions) and Zn ions (Zn 2+ ions), and most preferably Li ions (Li + ions)); or the ions may be anions (F ions (F - ions), Cl ions (Cl - ions), Br ions (Br -Ions), I ions (I - Aeon), PF6 - BF4 - FSI - , FTFSI - TFSI - FSA - BETI - HSO4 - ClO4 - AlCl4 - NO3 - and [ZnCl4] 2- Preferably F ions (F - Ions), Cl ions (Cl - ions) and Br ions (Br - It is an ion, and most preferably an F ion (F - It is an ion.

[0138] Typically, the mobile ion exists in the fluid in the form of a salt with a suitable counterion. One or more counterions may be used, and each fluid may contain different counterions. However, typically the counterion is the same in all fluids, and is usually the same single counterion.

[0139] In one embodiment, the mobile ion exists in the form of a salt with a polymer to which an anionic group (if the mobile ion is a cationic group) or a cationic group (if the mobile ion is an anion) is bonded. Therefore, in one embodiment, if the mobile ion is a cationic group, the mobile ion exists in the form of a salt with a polymer having an anionic group that is bonded to or forms part of the polymer backbone, as defined above. In another embodiment, if the mobile ion is an anion, the mobile ion exists in the form of a salt with a polymer having a cationic group that is bonded to or forms part of the polymer backbone, as defined above.

[0140] However, more commonly, the mobile ion exists in the form of a soluble salt of the mobile ion and the mobile counterion (i.e., both the ion and the counterion can freely diffuse). Therefore, if the mobile ion is a cation, the mobile counterion is an anion, such as a halogen anion, an inorganic anion, or an organic anion, preferably a halogen anion or an inorganic anion, and most preferably a halogen anion. If the mobile ion is an anion, the mobile counterion is a cation, such as a metal cation or an organic cation, and most preferably a metal cation.

[0141] Typically, the halogen anions, inorganic anions, and organic anions are as defined above. Therefore, Preferably, the halogen anion is selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, and iodide. More preferably, the halogen anion is selected from fluoride, chloride, and bromide. Most preferably, the halogen anion is chloride. Preferably, the inorganic anion is ClO4 - BF4 - NO3 - NO2 - , PO4 3- HPO4 2- H2PO4 - NCS - PF6 - SiF6 - SbF6 - 5CN - CF3SO3 - SO4 2- and N3 - An anion selected from the group consisting of the following. More preferably, the inorganic anion is ClO4 - BF4 - NO3 - NO2 - , PO4 3- HPO4 2- H2PO4 - PF6 - SiF6 - CF3SO3 -and SO4 2- An anion selected from the group consisting of the following. Most preferably, the inorganic anion is ClO4 - BF4 - and PF6 - That is the case. Preferably, the organic anion is of formula RSO3, as is well known to those skilled in the art. - It is an anion represented by . However, usually R is C 1-3 It is an alkyl group or an optionally substituted phenyl group. Preferably, R is a methyl group or an optionally substituted phenyl group. The optional substituents of the phenyl group are halogens (preferably fluorine, chloride, bromide, or iodide), NO2, or C 1-3 The substituent may be one or two substituents selected from alkyl (preferably methyl), most preferably one methyl substituent. Most preferably, the organic anion is selected from mesylate, tosylate, and nosylate.

[0142] Typically, the metal cations and organic cations are as defined above. Therefore, Preferably, the metal cation is a cation of a metal in Group I to Group XV of the periodic table. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Sc, Y, Lu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Re, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, and P. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, Rb, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Cr, Mo, Mn, Tc, Fe, Ru, Co, Rh, Ni, Pd, Cu, Ag, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Sb. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al, Ga, and Ge. More preferably, the metal cation is a cation of Li, Na, K, and Ca. In the most preferred embodiment, the metal cation is a cation of Na (i.e., Na + ) Preferably, the organic cation is an organic cation of a carbon-based molecule (preferably a carbon-based molecule with a molecular weight of less than 500 g / mol, more preferably less than 400 g / mol, and most preferably less than 300 g / mol). Preferably, the organic cation of the carbon-based molecule is a molecule having at least one of the following cationic groups:

[0143] [ka]

[0144] More preferably, the molecule has one of the following cationic groups.

[0145] [ka]

[0146] Here, * represents a bond point to the remainder of the molecule. Each R is independently H or C 1-6 Alkyl (preferably C) 1-3 Selected from alkyl (more preferably methyl), and most preferably methyl. Preferably, each * is independently and optionally substituted with C 1-6 Alkyl alkyl groups, optionally substituted C 3-14 The bond site is indicated to a carbocyclic group or a group selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted 5-14 membered heterocyclic groups having 1-4 heteroatoms selected from O, N, and S. Alternatively, the two * symbols indicate a bond site within an optionally substituted 5-14 membered heterocyclic group having 1-4 heteroatoms selected from O, N, and S, where at least one heteroatom is N.

[0147] Typically, one or two substituents may be present on each of the above arbitrary substituents. More typically, one substituent is present on each of the above groups. Preferably, the substituent is independently one of the cationic groups defined above, a halogen, or C 1-6 alkyl, OH, OC 1-6 Alkyl, -NH2, NHC 1-6 Alkyl, N(C 1-6 Alkyl)2, CN, NO2, COOH, COOC 1-6 Alkyl, CONH2, CONHC 1-6 Alkyl, CON(C 1-6 Alkyl)2, SO2NH2, SO2NHC 1-6 Alkyl and SO2N(C 1-6 Selected from the group consisting of alkyl)2, where preferably each C 1-6 Alkyl is C 1-3 It is alkyl. More preferably, the substituent is independently one of the cationic groups defined above, a halogen, C 1-3 alkyl, OH, OC 1-3 Alkyl, -NH2, NHC 1-3 Alkyl, N(C 1-3 Alkyl)2, CN, COOH and COOC 1-3Selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups. Most preferably, the organic cation is an ammonium cation, a tetramethylammonium cation, a pyronine Y cation, i.e.

[0148] [ka]

[0149] Alternatively, GABA cation, i.e.

[0150] [ka]

[0151] It is a cation selected from among them.

[0152] In another embodiment, if the mobile ion is a cation, the mobile counterion is an anion as defined in the section "Ions useful as donated / received by the first ion donor / receiver material and the second ion donor / receiver material" below. Similarly, if the mobile ion is an anion, the mobile counterion is a cation as defined in the section "Cations useful as donated / received by the first ion donor / receiver material and the second ion donor / receiver material" below. For example, the mobile ion is Al ion (Al 3+ If the mobile ion is an ion, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and the mobile counterion may be AlCl3, AlBr3, Al(PF6)3, Al(BF4)3, Al(ClO4)3, Al2(SO4)3, and Al(NO3)3, preferably AlCl3, AlBr3, Al2(SO4)3, and Al(NO3)3, and most preferably AlCl3. For example, the aforementioned mobile ion is a Ca ion (Ca 2+If the mobile ion is a mobile counterion, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and mobile counterion may be CaCl2, CaBr2, Ca(PF6)2, Ca(BF4)2, Ca(ClO4)2, CaSO4, and Ca(NO3)2, preferably CaCl2, CaBr2, CaSO4, and Ca(NO3)2, and most preferably CaCl2. For example, the mobile ion is a Mg ion (Mg 2+ In the case of an ion, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and mobile counterion may be MgCl2, MgBr2, Mg(PF6)2, Mg(BF4)2, Mg(ClO4)2, MgSO4, and Mg(NO3)2, preferably MgCl2, MgBr2, MgSO4, and Mg(NO3)2, and most preferably MgCl2. For example, the mobile ion is a Zn ion (Zn 2+ If the mobile ion is ZnCl2, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and mobile counterion may be ZnCl2, ZnBr2, Zn(PF6)2, Zn(BF4)2, Zn(ClO4)2, ZnSO4, and Zn(NO3)2, preferably ZnCl2, ZnBr2, ZnSO4, and Zn(NO3)2, and most preferably ZnCl2. For example, the mobile ion is a K ion (K + If the mobile ion is an ion, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and the mobile counterion may be KCl, KBr, KPF6, KF4, KClO4, K2SO4, and KNO3, preferably KCl, KBr, K2SO4, and KNO3, and most preferably KCl. For example, the mobile ion is a Na ion (Na + If the mobile ion is an ion, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and the mobile counterion may be NaCl, NaBr, NaPF6, NaBF4, NaClO4, Na2SO4, and NaNO3, preferably NaCl, NaBr, Na2SO4, and NaNO3, and most preferably NaCl. For example, the mobile ion is Li ion (Li +If the mobile ion is a mobile counterion, the soluble salt of the mobile ion and mobile counterion may be LiCl, LiBr, LiPF6, LiBF4, LiClO4, Li2SO4, and LiNO3, preferably LiCl, LiBr, Li2SO4, and LiNO3, and most preferably LiCl.

[0153] Typically, the concentration of the mobile ions in each of the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids is independently 10 M to 0.1 M, preferably 5 M to 0.2 M, more preferably 4 M to 0.5 M, and even more preferably 2 to 0.5 M. Most preferably, the concentration of the mobile ions in each of the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids is about 1 M.

[0154] As discussed above, the first and second ion donor / acceptor materials are defined as follows: -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material.

[0155] As discussed above, the ions donated / received by the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material (which are the same ions as the mobile ions discussed above) depend on the properties of the battery chemistry. The battery chemistry may be such that the charge carrier (i.e., the ions) is a cation. In this embodiment, the first ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material. Alternatively, the battery chemistry may be such that the charge carrier (i.e., the ions) is anion. In this embodiment, the first ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material.

[0156] Specific examples of cations useful as ions donated / received by the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material include Al ions (Al 3+ Ions), Ca ions (Ca 2+ Li ions, Li ions (Li + Ions), Mg ions (Mg 2+ Ions), K ions (K + Ions), Na ions (Na + ions) and Zn ions (Zn 2+ Examples include Li ions. Preferably, the cation is a Li ion (Li + Ions), Mg ions (Mg 2+ Ions), K ions (K + Ions), Na ions (Na + ions) and Zn ions (Zn 2+ The cation is a Li ion (Li + It is an ion. Specific examples of anions useful as ions donated / received by the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material include F ions (F - Ions), Cl ions (Cl - Ions), Br ions (Br - Ions), I ions (I- Aeon), PF6 - BF4 - FSI - , FTFSI - TFSI - FSA - BETI - HSO4 - ClO4 - AlCl4 - NO3 - and [ZnCl4] 2- Examples include the following. Preferably, the anion is an F ion (F - Ions), Cl ions (Cl - ions) and Br ions (Br - The ion is, most preferably, the anion is an F ion (F - It is an ion.

[0157] If the battery chemistry is such that the charge carrier (i.e., the ion) is anion, then the discharge ion donor material (i.e., the first ion donor / acceptor material) and the discharge ion acceptor material (i.e., the second ion donor / acceptor material) can be any material known to be the cathode material and anode material in an anion battery, and therefore can be any suitable material pair described, for example, Wang et al., Chem 2021, 7(8), pp 1993-2021. In one example, the anion is a Cl ion (Cl - In another example, the anion is an F ion (F - The ion is F - :4-hydroxy-TEMPO (cathode), and the discharge ion acceptor material is Bi (anode).

[0158] Most commonly, the battery chemistry described above may be such that the charge carrier (i.e., the ions) is a cation. In this case, the discharge ion acceptor material (i.e., the first ion donor / acceptor material) and the discharge ion donor material (i.e., the second ion donor / acceptor material) may be any material known to be the cathode material and anode material in a cationic battery. The following sections describe known cathode and anode materials in cationic batteries in detail, but those skilled in the art will understand, based on their common technical knowledge, the following materials when described in the charged state (i.e., when the anode material is sufficiently cation-bearing and ready to donate cations during discharge, and when the cathode material is sufficiently cation-depleted and ready to accept cations during discharge) and when described in the discharge state (i.e., when the anode material is cation-free and therefore requires charging before discharge, and when the cathode material is cation-containing and requires cation removal (i.e., removal under charging conditions) before discharge).

[0159] Therefore, for example, Al ion (Al 3+ When the ion is the aforementioned ion, the discharge ion acceptor material may be spinel-type manganese oxide or vanadium oxide nanowire, and the discharge ion donor material may be graphite or braided carbon fiber (with Al ions or metal intercalated / adsorbed). Ca ions (Ca 2+ When the ion is the aforementioned ion, the discharge ion acceptor material may be, for example, calcium manganese oxide, calcium cobalt oxide and titanium disulfide, or hexacyanoferrate, and the discharge ion donor material may be, for example, vanadium oxide (V2O5), magnesium vanadium oxide (MgV2O5), graphite or silicon (each with Ca ions or metal intercalated / adsorbed), copper-calcium alloy or metallic calcium. 2+When the ion is the aforementioned ion, the discharge ion acceptor material may be, for example, zirconium disulfide, cobalt(II,III) oxide, tungsten diselenium, vanadium pentoxide, vanadate, MgMn2O4, MgV2O4, MgCr2O4, MgFeSiO4 and MgMnSiO4, and the discharge ion donor material may be, for example, Mg3Bi2. + If the ion is the aforementioned ion, the discharge ion acceptor material is, for example, Prussian blue, K 0.3 MnO2, K 0.55 The discharge ion donor material can be CoO2, fluorosulfate, K3V2(PO4)3, and KVPO4F, and the discharge ion donor material can be, for example, graphite intercalated / adsorbed with K ions or metal. Na ions (Na + If the ion is the aforementioned ion, the discharge ion acceptor material is, for example, sodium iron manganese oxide (e.g., Na 2 / 3 Fe 1 / 2 Mn 1 / 2 O2), sodium manganese nickel iron magnesium oxide (e.g., Na 0.76 Mn 0.5 Ni 0.3 Fe 0.1 Mg 0.1 O2), sodium nickel sodium manganese titanium tin oxide (e.g., NaNi 1 / 4 Na 1 / 6 Mn 2 / 12 Ti 4 / 12 Sn 1 / 12 O2), doped sodium nickel oxide (e.g., NaNi (1-x-y-z) Mn x Mg y Ti z O2), sodium manganese magnesium oxide (e.g., Na 0.67 Mn 1-x Mg x O2, for example, Na 0.67 Mn 0.95 Mg 0.05 O2), copper-substituted sodium nickel manganese oxide (e.g., Na 0.67 Ni 0.3-x Cu x Mn 0.7O2), sodium vanadium phosphate, sodium vanadium fluorophosphate, sodium vanadium phosphate fluoride (e.g., Na3V2(PO4)2F3), Na2MnFe(CN)6, Na 1.88(5) Fe[Fe(CN)6]·0.18(9)H2O, and Na2Mn II [Mn II (CN)6] may be the discharge ion donor material, and the discharge ion donor material may be, for example, hard carbon, graphite, graphene, carbon arsenide and sodium titanate (e.g., Na2Ti3O7 and NaTiO2), in which Na ions or metals are intercalated / adsorbed, respectively. Zn ions (Zn 2+ When the ion is the aforementioned ion, the discharge ion acceptor material is, for example, manganese oxide, copper hexacyanoferrate, bismuth oxide, layered sulfide, Prussian blue analog, vanadium oxide (e.g., Zn 0.25 The material may be V2O5, and the discharge ion donor material may be, for example, metallic zinc.

[0160] As discussed above, most commonly, the battery chemistry involves the charge carrier (i.e., the ion) being a Li cation (i.e., Li + This is an ion. In this embodiment, the first ion donor / acceptor material is a first Li ion donor / acceptor material, the discharge ion acceptor material is a discharge Li ion acceptor material, the second ion donor / acceptor material is a second Li ion donor / acceptor material, and the discharge ion donor material is a discharge Li ion donor material.

[0161] The discharge Li-ion acceptor material may be any material known to be a cathode material in a Li-ion battery. For example, the Li-ion acceptor material may be lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (e.g., LiNi (1-x-y) Co x Al y O2, for example LiLi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O2), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (e.g., LiNi(1-x-y) Mn x Co y O2, for example LiLi 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O2), lithium nickel cobalt manganese aluminum oxide (e.g., LiNi (1-x-y-z) Co x Mn y Al z O2, for example LiLi 0.89 Co 0.05 Mn 0.05 Al 0.01 O2), lithium manganese oxide (e.g., LiMn2O4 or Li2MnO3), lithium manganese nickel oxide (e.g., LiMn (2-x) Ni x O4, for example, LiMn 1.5 Ni 0.5 Li-ion acceptor material can be selected from lithium vanadium oxide (LiV2O4), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), and lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2). Preferably, the Li-ion acceptor material is lithium manganese oxide (e.g., LiMn2O4), lithium manganese nickel oxide (e.g., LiMn (2-x) Ni x O4, for example, LiMn 1.5 Ni 0.5 The Li-ion acceptor material is selected from 04), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2). More preferably, the Li-ion acceptor material is lithium manganese oxide, and most preferably LiMn2O4.

[0162] The discharge Li-ion donor material may be any material known to be an anode material in a Li-ion battery. For example, the Li-ion donor material may be graphite, hard carbon, silicon, silicon / carbon (silicon nanowires and / or carbon-coated silicon flakes in graphite), tin / cobalt alloy, copper / tin alloy, copper / antimony alloy, manganese / tin alloy, molybdenum sulfide (e.g., Mo6S8), lithium titanate (e.g., Li4Ti5O 12), niobate (for example, KNb5O 13 The material may be selected from (and TiNb2O7), in which Li ions or metals are intercalated / adsorbed, respectively. Preferably, the Li ion donor material is molybdenum sulfide (e.g., Mo6S8), lithium titanate (e.g., Li4Ti5O 12 ), and niobate (e.g., KNb5O 13 Selected from (and TiNb2O7), more preferably molybdenum sulfide (e.g., Mo6S8) and lithium titanate (e.g., Li4Ti5O 12 ) Furthermore, the Li ion donor material is lithium titanate, and most preferably Li4Ti5O 12 In a particularly preferred embodiment, the Li4Ti5O 12 This is carbon-coated Li4Ti5O 12 That is the case.

[0163] Typically, the first and second discharge ion donor / receptor materials used in the present invention (i.e., discharge ion acceptor material and discharge ion donor material) are particulate, and more preferably nanoparticles. For example, the first and second discharge ion donor / receptor materials (i.e., discharge ion acceptor material and discharge ion donor material) have at least one dimension (preferably two dimensions, more preferably three dimensions) in the range of 1 to 100 nm. Typically, the first and second discharge ion donor / acceptor materials are present in the droplet containing them in an amount of 0.5 to 40 w / v%, preferably 1 to 30 w / v%, more preferably 5 to 20 w / v%, and most preferably about 10 w / v%.

[0164] As discussed above, preferably, the droplet medium is water. Therefore, it is preferable that the first and second discharge ion donor / acceptor materials (i.e., the discharge ion acceptor material and the discharge ion donor material) are aqueous-stable materials. It is well known to those skilled in the art which of the materials listed above are aqueous-stable.

[0165] As discussed above, the amphiphilic membrane is typically a layer formed from amphiphilic molecules having at least one hydrophilic portion and at least one lipophilic or hydrophobic portion. The amphiphilic layer may be a single layer or a double layer, and is usually a double layer. The amphiphilic molecules may be of synthetic or natural origin, and are typically lipids, surfactants, and block copolymer-type amphiphilic substances. Preferably, the amphiphilic molecules are lipids or block copolymer-type amphiphilic substances, more preferably lipids, and most preferably phospholipids.

[0166] Non-natural amphiphilic substances and amphiphilic substances that form monolayers are known in the art, including, for example, block copolymers (Gonzalez-Perez et al., Langmuir, 2009, 25, 10447-10450).

[0167] In some embodiments, the membrane comprises one or more archaeal bipolar tetraether lipids or their mimics. Such lipids are commonly found in extremophiles that survive in harsh biological environments, such as thermophiles, halophiles, and acidophiles. Their stability is thought to derive from the fusion properties of the final bilayer. It is easy to construct block copolymer materials that mimic these bio-derived entities by creating triblock polymers having a common hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hydrophilic motif. These materials can form monomeric membranes that behave similarly to lipid bilayers and encompass a range of phase behaviors from vesicles to lamellar membranes.

[0168] A block copolymer is a polymer material in which two or more monomer subunits polymerize together to form a single polymer chain. Block copolymers typically possess properties derived from each monomer subunit. However, block copolymers may possess unique properties not found in polymers formed from individual subunits. A block copolymer can be designed such that one monomer subunit is hydrophobic (i.e., lipophilic) and the other subunits are hydrophilic in an aqueous medium. In this case, the block copolymer has amphiphilic properties and can form structures that mimic biological membranes. The block copolymer may be a diblock (consisting of two monomer subunits), but may also be composed of more than two monomer subunits, forming a more complex arrangement that behaves as an amphiphilic substance. The copolymer may be a triblock, tetrablock, or pentablock copolymer. Typically, the copolymer is a triblock copolymer containing two monomer subunits, A and B, in the arrangement ABA, where the A monomer subunit is typically hydrophilic and the B subunit is hydrophobic.

[0169] The aforementioned amphiphilic layer is typically a planar lipid bilayer or a supporting bilayer. The amphiphilic layer is typically a lipid bilayer. Lipid bilayers serve as a model of cell membranes and function as an excellent platform for a wide range of experimental studies. For example, lipid bilayer membranes can be used for in vitro analysis of membrane proteins by single-channel recording. Alternatively, lipid bilayers can be used as biosensors to detect the presence of various substances. The lipid bilayer can be any lipid bilayer. Suitable lipid bilayers include, but are not limited to, planar lipid bilayers, supported bilayers, or liposomes. The lipid bilayer is typically a planar lipid bilayer. Suitable lipid bilayers are disclosed in WO 2008 / 102121, WO 2009 / 077734, and WO 2006 / 100484. Any lipid composition that forms a lipid bilayer can be used. Lipids typically include a head group, an interface, and two hydrophobic tail groups, which may be the same or different. Suitable head groups include, but are not limited to, neutral head groups such as diacylglycerides (DG) and ceramides (CM); zwitterionic head groups such as phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and sphingomyelin (SM); negatively charged head groups such as phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA), and cardiolipin (CA); and positively charged head groups such as trimethylammonium propane (TAP). Suitable interface groups include, but are not limited to, naturally derived interface groups such as glycerol-based or ceramide-based parts. Suitable hydrophobic tail groups include, but are not limited to, saturated hydrocarbon chains such as lauric acid (n-dodecanoic acid), myristic acid (n-tetradecanoic acid), palmitic acid (n-hexadecanoic acid), stearic acid (n-octadecanoic acid), and arachidic acid (n-eicosanoic acid); unsaturated hydrocarbon chains such as oleic acid (cis-9-octadecenoic acid); and branched hydrocarbon chains such as phytanoyl. The chain length and the position and number of double bonds in unsaturated hydrocarbon chains can vary. The chain length and the position and number of branches such as methyl groups in branched hydrocarbon chains can also vary. The hydrophobic tail group may be bonded to the interface as an ether or ester. The lipid may also be mycolic acid. In the present invention, the lipid is particularly preferably a phospholipid, and most preferably 2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC). The lipids may be chemically modified. The head group or tail group of the lipids may be chemically modified. Suitable lipids with chemically modified head groups include, but are not limited to, PEG-modified lipids, such as 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000]; functionalized PEG lipids, such as 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[biotinyl(polyethylene glycol)2000]; and lipids modified for conjugation, such as 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(succinyl) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(biotinyl). Suitable lipids with chemically modified tail groups include, but are not limited to, polymerizable lipids such as 1,2-bis(10,12-tricosadiinoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; fluorinated lipids such as 1-palmitoyl-2-(16-fluoropalmitoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; deuterated lipids such as 1,2-dipalmitoyl-D62-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; and ether-binding lipids such as 1,2-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The lipids may be chemically modified or functionalized to facilitate binding with polynucleotides.

[0170] Other components that affect the properties of the amphiphilic layer may also be incorporated, such as fatty acids, e.g., palmitic acid, myristic acid, and oleic acid; aliphatic alcohols, e.g., palmityl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, and oleyl alcohol; sterols, e.g., cholesterol, ergosterol, lanosterol, sitosterol, and stigmasterol; lysophosphoripides, e.g., 1-acyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; and ceramides.

[0171] Methods for forming lipid bilayers are known in the art. Suitable methods are disclosed in the examples. Lipid bilayers are generally formed by the Montal and Mueller method (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 1972; 69: 3561-3566), in which a lipid monolayer is supported on an aqueous solution / air interface and passes through both sides of an opening perpendicular to the interface. The Montal and Mueller method is widely used because it is a cost-effective and relatively simple method for forming a good quality lipid bilayer suitable for insertion of protein pores. Other common methods for bilayer formation include bilayer formation by tip-dipping, painting, and the patch-clamp method for liposome bilayers. The lipid bilayer may be formed as described in WO2009 / 077734. The lipid bilayer may also be a droplet interface bilayer formed between two or more aqueous droplets, each containing a lipid shell, in which case, when the droplets come into contact, the lipid bilayer is formed at the droplet interface.

[0172] Any of the amphiphilic membranes, compounds, or layers discussed above can be used in the present invention.

[0173] As discussed above, the volume of each droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention is typically 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the volume of each droplet is approximately 1.84 nL.

[0174] Preferably, at least one droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention contains magnetic particles. More preferably, all droplets in the power supply unit of the present invention contain magnetic particles. The magnetic particles are, for example, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3) or nickel (Ni) particles. In one embodiment, the magnetic particles are iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3). In another embodiment, the magnetic particles are nickel (Ni) particles. These magnetic particles advantageously enable the power supply unit of the present invention to be moved remotely using a magnetic field.

[0175] Power supply unit (3) As discussed above, the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is One or more first droplets, and One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, This power supply unit is characterized by each droplet being separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0176] The power supply unit of the present invention is therefore a form of battery in an inert state and contains a potential energy difference across a barrier that can be selectively permeable.

[0177] As discussed above, those skilled in the art will understand that, in principle, any battery chemistry can be used within the power supply unit of the present invention to provide a potential energy difference between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets. In another embodiment, the potential energy difference is the redox potential difference between the first reaction and the second reaction, where the first reaction occurs in the first droplet and the second reaction occurs in the second droplet. Thus, one of the first and second reactions is an oxidation reaction, and the other is a reduction reaction. Typically, the first and second reactions occur either (i) at electrodes placed in the first and second droplets, or (ii) are coupled to the oxidation / reduction of an electron mediator that can be oxidized / reduced at electrodes placed in the first and second droplets (in either case, when the electrodes are electrically connected). Therefore, typically, the first reaction is an oxidation reaction (i.e., a reaction in which the substrate loses electrons), and the electrons lost in the oxidation reaction move into the anode electrode of the first droplet (optionally via an electron mediator), transfer to the cathode electrode of the second droplet, and then are transferred to the substrate of the second reaction (optionally via an electron mediator), thereby reducing the substrate. Thus, an electron-driven force is generated.

[0178] Typically, when the electrodes are connected, the barrier (i.e., the amphiphilic membrane) is made permeable to ions in order to allow charge balancing. Therefore, typically, the oxidation reaction generates cations in the first droplet, which then move to the second droplet and are consumed in the reduction reaction.

[0179] In one particularly preferred embodiment, at least one of the substrates for the oxidation and reduction reactions is a biomolecular substrate. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the substrate for the oxidation reaction is NADH, NADPH, or FADH2 (most preferably NADH). Typically, the substrate for the reduction reaction is molecular oxygen.

[0180] Advantageously, an enzyme may be introduced into the droplet to catalyze at least one of the first and second reactions. If the substrate for oxidation is molecular oxygen, the enzyme is an oxidizing / reductase such as laccase.

[0181] The electron mediators, when used, may be the same or different, and have reduction / oxidation potentials appropriately set to allow the first and second reactions to proceed. Typical examples of electron mediators include bisazino and quinone compounds, such as 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 9,10-anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonic acid (AQDS).

[0182] Therefore, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the first reaction is the oxidation of NADH in the presence of mediator AQDS, the second reaction is the reduction of oxygen in the presence of mediator ABTS and the enzyme laccase, and the electrode is, for example, a gold electrode. Typically, the barrier is an amphiphilic membrane (appropriately permeable by ion channels such as gA channels). However, it will be understood that the barrier may also be a separator droplet as defined above, and a cation-specific separator droplet as defined above in relation to the power supply unit (1).

[0183] One exemplary embodiment of a power supply unit according to this aspect of the present invention is shown in Figure 63 and described in Example 3.

[0184] Manufacturing method of power supply unit As discussed above, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a power supply unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the method being - A step of providing one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated first droplets and one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated second droplets; and - A step of providing a power supply unit of the first embodiment by bringing one or more amphiphilic molecular coated first droplets and one or more amphiphilic molecular coated second droplets into series contact. Includes.

[0185] In the preferred embodiment discussed above, the barrier within the power supply unit of the first aspect of the present invention is a separator droplet. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing the power supply unit of the present invention, the method is The process of providing one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated first droplets, one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated separator droplets, and one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated second droplets; and - A step of providing a power supply unit of the first embodiment by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated first droplets, the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated separator droplets, and the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated second droplets into series contact. Includes.

[0186] As discussed above, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the potential energy difference is an ion gradient, and as a result, the droplet array of the power supply unit is in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, or one or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to be diffused with salt Includes, Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0187] In this case, the method for manufacturing the power supply unit of the present invention is: • Process to provide the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, or one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (c) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more fluids to which salt diffusion is targeted; and The process of providing a power supply unit according to the first embodiment by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (b) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (c) above into series contact. Includes.

[0188] As discussed above, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to be diffused with salt, (d) One or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (e) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids Includes, The one or more droplets in (a) above may be the same one or more droplets as the one or more droplets in (e) above, and Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0189] Therefore, as also discussed above, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a power supply unit of a particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect, the method being, • Process to provide the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more fluids to which salt diffusion is targeted, and (d) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids; and The process of providing a power supply unit of a particularly preferred embodiment of the first aspect by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (b) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (c) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (d) above into series contact. Includes.

[0190] As discussed above, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the potential energy difference is the relative stability of ions in different ion donor / acceptor materials, and as a result, the droplet array of the power supply unit is in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of a discharge cathode fluid containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material Includes, Here, -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and Each droplet is separated from one or more neighboring droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

[0191] In this case, the method for manufacturing the power supply unit of the present invention is: • Process to provide the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more discharge cathode fluids containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more discharge anode fluids containing a second ion donor / acceptor material; and The process of providing a power supply unit according to the first embodiment by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (b) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of (c) above into series contact. Includes.

[0192] In a broader embodiment of the method of the present invention, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets are each preferably droplets of fluid. More preferably, the one or more first droplets, the one or more second droplets, and the optionally one or more separator droplets are each preferably droplets of fluid that are a solution or suspension in a droplet medium, of which the solution in the droplet medium is most preferred.

[0193] Similarly, the one or more high-salt fluids, one or more cation-selective fluids, one or more fluids targeted for salt diffusion, and one or more anion-selective fluids are each solutions or suspensions in a droplet medium, of which solutions in a droplet medium are most preferred. Similarly, the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids are each a solution or suspension in a droplet medium.

[0194] Typically, each droplet is prepared by dropping a volume of fluid into a suspension medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, where: (i) The suspension medium contains amphiphilic molecules and / or (ii) The droplet medium contains amphiphilic molecules and / or (iii) After the volume of the fluid has been dropped into the suspension medium, amphiphilic molecules are added to the suspension medium.

[0195] In the simplest case, the suspension medium contains amphiphilic molecules.

[0196] The contact is performed by automatic positioning using a printer or by manual positioning using a pipette. Most commonly, the contact is performed by automatic positioning using a printer. Most preferably, a printer used for microfluidic applications, such as one manufactured by Formlabs (e.g., SolidPrint3D), is used.

[0197] The droplets can be prepared by dropping them into a mold appropriately sized to allow for the simple construction of a droplet row, or into a mold appropriately sized to allow for the contact of multiple droplets of the same type (for convenience, seven droplets) to allow for the parallel construction of multiple droplet rows.

[0198] To avoid any doubt, it should be added that the composition of the droplets is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention. For example, the fluid is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, the gelling agent is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, the one or more salts (and their appropriate concentrations) are as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, the polymer having anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, and the polymer having cationic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention.

[0199] Similarly, if the potential energy difference is the relative stability of ions in different ion donor / acceptor materials, the composition of the droplet is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention. For example, the fluid is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, the gelling agent is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, the electron conductive material is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, the mobile ions are as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention, and the first and second ion donor / acceptor materials are as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention.

[0200] Similarly, the suspension medium is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention. The volume of the droplet is as defined above in relation to the power supply of the present invention.

[0201] The amphiphilic molecules are also defined above in relation to the power source of the present invention. The amphiphilic molecules may be used in the suspension medium or droplet medium, or may be added to the suspension medium after the volume of the fluid has been dropped into the suspension medium, and the concentration therein is arbitrary. However, typically the amphiphilic molecules are present in the suspension medium, preferably at a total concentration of 0.2 to 10 mM, more preferably 0.5 to 5 mM, preferably 1 to 3 mM, and most preferably about 2 mM. Alternatively, the amphiphilic molecules are present in the suspension medium at a total concentration of 0.5 to 20 mM, more preferably 1 to 10 mM, preferably 2 to 6 mM, and most preferably about 4 mM.

[0202] If the droplet contains the gelling agent as defined above, the droplet is preferably dropped so that the gelling agent is held in an ungelled form or a partially gelled form (for example, a form that gives 10% or less, 20% or less, or 50% or less of the strength of the fully gelled form). For example, if the gelling agent is agarose, the droplet is preferably dropped at a temperature above 30°C, usually around 37°C. Similarly, if the gelling agent is a gelling agent that gels using UV light (such as silk fibroin), the droplet is preferably dropped under UV-blocking conditions (in a dark room, under yellow / red light, etc.). The power supply unit of the present invention is typically a soft power supply unit.

[0203] How to activate a power supply unit As discussed above, the present invention provides a method for activating the power supply unit of the present invention, the method comprising the step of converting the droplet sequence into a sequence of compartments in which each compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent compartments. Thus, diffusion of battery components (ions in the case of an ion gradient system) becomes possible between compartments, and an electromotive force is generated.

[0204] The conversion may be carried out by any means known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the conversion includes permeabilizing an amphiphilic membrane separating droplets of the power supply of the present invention, for example, by introducing transmembrane holes or transmembrane channels, or by activating transmembrane holes or transmembrane channels located within the amphiphilic membrane that were previously closed (thus preventing diffusion). Suitable transmembrane holes or transmembrane channels will be well known to those skilled in the art.

[0205] In another embodiment, the conversion includes dismantling the amphiphilic membrane. Preferably, the amphiphilic membrane is dismantled by introducing the power unit into a dismantling medium and / or washing the power unit with the dismantling medium. This step removes (or substantially removes, for example, by reducing its concentration by more than 10 times, preferably more than 100 times, more preferably more than 1000 times) the amphiphilic molecules so that the amphiphilic membrane is no longer present between the droplets.

[0206] The disintegration medium does not contain amphiphilic molecules. The disintegration medium is a medium that is miscible with the droplet medium. Therefore, the disintegration medium can usually be the same as defined for the suspension medium above, and as a result preferably an oil, preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 Hydrocarbons, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbons) and / or silicone oil (preferably poly(C) 1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6 The material is an alkyl siloxane, and is particularly preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane. However, in another embodiment, the decomposition medium is a gel, preferably an organogel. Organogels are well known to those skilled in the art, and in principle, any organogel can be used as the decomposition medium. However, usually the organogel is a polymer gel in an organogel medium (where the organogel medium is usually an oil as defined above, preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 Hydrocarbons, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbons) and / or silicone oil (preferably poly(C) 1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6The polymer is an alkyl siloxane, and particularly preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane. The polymer gel can be formed from any suitable polymer (e.g., polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polybutylene-based), but is typically a copolymer of polystyrene, polybutylene, and optionally polyethylene. Most preferably, the polymer is SEBS (poly(styrene-b-ethylene-co-butylene-b-styrene) triblock copolymer). For convenience, this polymer forms a gel in a temperature-sensitive manner (e.g., by cooling to below 37°C, preferably below 25°C, more preferably below 10°C, and preferably to about 4°C). The polymer can be present in the organogel medium at any concentration, but is preferably at a concentration of 1 to 100 mg / mL, preferably 5 to 50 mg / mL, more preferably 10 to 30 mg / mL, and most preferably about 20 mg / mL. Typically, the cationic polymer has a weight-average molecular weight of about 10,000 to 200,000 g / mol, preferably about 20,000 to 150,000 g / mol, and most preferably about 120,000 g / mol.

[0207] The decomposition medium may contain a surfactant. The surfactant may be, for example, F68 flakes.

[0208] If one or more droplets contain a gelling agent, the step of converting the droplet row into a compartment row preferably includes gelling the one or more gelling agents, so that the droplet row becomes a compartment row in which each gel compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments. The gelling may be performed before, simultaneously with, or after the permeation or disintegration. Most preferably, the gelling is performed simultaneously with the permeation or disintegration.

[0209] In one particularly preferred embodiment, the transformation of the droplet row into a row of gel compartments in which each gel compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments is achieved by the gelation of the gelling agent. Thus, in one embodiment, the gelation of the gelling agent ruptures the amphiphilic membrane separating each droplet from one or more adjacent droplets, and as a result, each droplet becomes a gel compartment in which each gel compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments. As an example, silk fibroin is a gelling agent that can rupture the amphiphilic membrane separating each droplet from one or more adjacent droplets during gelation.

[0210] The gelation may be carried out by any process suitable for gelling the gelling agent, for example, by treatment with UV light or by temperature reduction. For example, if the gelling agent is agarose, the gelation may be carried out by cooling (for example, by cooling to below 37°C, preferably below 25°C, more preferably below 10°C, preferably to about 4°C). Similarly, if the gelling agent is a gelling agent that readily undergoes crosslinking under UV light (such as silk fibroin), the gelation may be carried out by irradiation with UV light (i.e., light with a wavelength of 100 to 400 nm, preferably 200 to 400 nm, more preferably 300 to 400 nm, even more preferably 350 to 400 nm, most preferably about 365 nm). The irradiation with UV light may be, for example, 0.01 mW / cm². 2 More preferably 0.1 mW / cm² 2 More preferably, 0.5 mW / cm² 2 This can be done with ultra-high UV light output density. Typically, the irradiation can be performed for a duration of 1 second to 1 hour, for example, 10 seconds to 10 minutes, preferably 30 seconds to 5 minutes, preferably about 60 seconds.

[0211] Active power supply unit (1) As discussed above, the present invention also provides an activated power supply unit that can be obtained by a method for activating the power supply unit of the present invention. The present invention also provides an active power supply unit including a partition row, the partition row is One or more first sections, and One or more second sections Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first sections and the one or more second sections, Each section is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0212] Therefore, the active power supply unit of the present invention is a form of a battery in an active state and contains a potential energy difference across a selectively permeable barrier. In one embodiment, the barrier is a selectively permeable amphiphilic membrane between a first compartment and a second compartment. However, in a preferred embodiment, the barrier is a separator compartment. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the active power supply unit is a power supply unit including a series of compartments, wherein the series of compartments are arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) one or more first sections, (b) One or more separator compartments, and (c) One or more second sections Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first sections and the one or more second sections, Each section is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0213] Those skilled in the art will understand that, in principle, any battery chemistry can be used within the active power supply unit of the present invention to provide a potential energy difference between the one or more first compartments and the one or more second compartments. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the potential energy difference is an ion gradient (i.e., a salt concentration difference across the barrier). This potential energy difference becomes an electromotive force across the barrier when the barrier is selectively permeable to either the cationic or anionic portion of the salt (for example, by introducing ion-selective channels into an amphiphilic membrane or by using anionic or cationic polymers in the separator compartment). Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the first compartment is a high-salt compartment, and the second compartment is a salt diffusion target compartment (where the "high-salt compartment" contains one or more salts at a higher concentration than the "salt diffusion target compartment," resulting in a driving force for the salt anions or cations to diffuse into the "salt diffusion target compartment" across an anion-selective or cationic permeable barrier).

[0214] Therefore, the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a series of compartments, wherein the series of compartments are arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more high-salt sections, (b) one or more cation-selective compartments, or one or more anion-selective compartments, and (c) One or more salt diffusion target areas Includes, Each section is preferably diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0215] In this case, the cation-selective / anion-selective compartments mentioned above are separator compartments. In the power supply unit of the present invention, an increased current can be obtained by arranging multiple compartment rows in parallel as appropriate. Therefore, it is preferable that the power supply unit includes multiple compartment rows, and that the multiple compartment rows are arranged in parallel such that identical compartments within each compartment row are adjacent to each other.

[0216] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention provides an active power supply unit including a series of compartments, wherein the series of compartments are arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more high-salt sections, (b) One or more cation-selective compartments, (c) One or more salt diffusion target areas, (d) One or more anion-selective compartments, and (e) One or more high-salt compartments Includes, The one or more compartments in (a) above may be the same one or more compartments as the one or more compartments in (e) above, and Each section is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0217] If the one or more compartments in (a) above are the same one or more compartments as the one or more compartments in (e) above, the active power supply unit exists in a circular shape, and the cations and anions originating from the high-salt compartments move in different directions along the circumference. Accordingly, this particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention includes two compartments as a barrier, one of which is selectively permeable to the cationic moiety of the salt in one or more compartments of (a) above, and the other barrier is selectively permeable to the anionic moiety of the salt in one or more compartments of (e) above (as a result, cations from one or more compartments of (a) and anions from one or more compartments of (e) above can diffuse into one or more compartments of (c) above). Thus, an electromotive force is generated between one or more compartments of (a) and one or more compartments of (e) above.

[0218] This embodiment of the present invention is particularly preferred because, in order to increase the overall voltage of the power supply unit, the voltage of the active power supply unit of the present invention can be conveniently increased by arranging the partition rows (a) to (e) in series. Therefore, it is preferable that the partition row of the particularly preferred embodiment includes a further optionally repeated partition sub-row between one or more partitions of (a) and one or more partitions of (b), and the partition sub-rows are in this order. (i) One or more cation-selective compartments, (ii) One or more salt diffusion target areas, (iii) One or more anion-selective compartments, and (iv) One or more high-salt compartments Includes.

[0219] In a broader embodiment of the active power supply of the present invention, the one or more first compartments, the one or more second compartments, and the optional one or more separator compartments are each compartments containing a compartment medium. Similarly, the one or more high-salt compartments, one or more cation-selective compartments, one or more salt diffusion target compartments, and one or more anion-selective compartments are each compartments containing a compartmentalizing medium. The partitioning medium is preferably defined using the same terminology as the droplet medium described above. Similarly, with the exception of optional gelling agents (gels, which will be discussed further below), each compartment preferably contains the same contents as defined above for the corresponding droplet (i.e., the one or more high-salt compartments have the same contents as one or more droplets of the one or more high-salt fluids, the one or more cation-selective compartments have the same contents as one or more droplets of the one or more cation-selective fluids, the one or more salt-diffusing compartments have the same contents as one or more droplets of the one or more salt-diffusing fluids, and the one or more anion-selective compartments have the same contents as one or more droplets of the one or more anion-selective fluids).

[0220] Advantageously, each compartment is a gel compartment, and as a result, the one or more high-salt compartments are one or more high-salt gel compartments, the one or more cation-selective compartments are one or more cation-selective gel compartments, the one or more salt-diffusion-targeted compartments are one or more salt-diffusion-targeted gel compartments, and the one or more anion-selective compartments are one or more anion-selective gel compartments.

[0221] In any case, each gel compartment is a compartment for one or more gels within the compartmentalizing medium. Preferably, the one or more gels in each gel compartment are the same one or more gels. More preferably, each gel compartment is a compartment for one gel, and most preferably, they are compartments for the same one gel. Preferably, each gel is a gel derived from a polymer or a polymerizable monomer or oligomer. Since the compartmentalized medium is most preferably water, the gel is preferably a hydrogel. Typically, the gel derived from the polymer is derived from a polymer selected from polysaccharides (agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose, and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (DNA and RNA, etc.), polyamides (collagen, gelatin, and silk fibroin, most preferably silk fibroin), polyphenols (ligin, etc.), polyesters (polycaprolactone and polylactic acid, etc.), polyethers (polyethylene glycol, etc.), vinyl polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinyl acetate, etc.), acrylate polymers (polyacrylic acid, etc.), and acrylamide polymers (polyacrylamide, etc.). The polymer may be a copolymer or grafted form of one or more of the polymers described above, and may contain functional groups (acryloyl groups, etc.) that enable the polymer to be crosslinked. Preferably, the polymer is a polysaccharide, polynucleic acid, polyamide, or polyphenol. More preferably, the polymer is a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably agarose. Typically, the gel derived from the polymerizable monomer or oligomer is a gel derived from a compound having one or more polymerizable groups, the compound preferably having one or more groups selected from a carboxylic acid group, an aldehyde group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an epoxy group, an alkenyl group, and an alkynyl group. More preferably, the polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent is a compound having an alkenyl group conjugated to one or more electron-withdrawing groups (preferably a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, or an amide group), particularly preferably methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and acrylamide, and most preferably acrylamide.

[0222] Most preferably, the gel is a polymer-derived gel. The gel may be present in the compartment at any concentration. For example, the gel may be present in an amount of 0.1 to 50% w / v, preferably 0.5 to 25% w / v, more preferably 1 to 10% w / v, even more preferably 1.5 to 5% w / v, and most preferably about 2% w / v. In the most preferred embodiment, each gel compartment is a biocompatible gel compartment, and as a result, the one or more high-salt compartments are one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, the one or more cation-selective compartments are one or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, the one or more salt-diffusion-targeted compartments are one or more salt-diffusion-targeted biocompatible gel compartments, and the one or more anion-selective compartments are one or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments.

[0223] Therefore, the present invention provides an active power supply unit including a row of biocompatible gel compartments, wherein the row of biocompatible gel compartments is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, (b) One or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, (c) One or more biocompatible gel compartments to be diffused, (d) One or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments, and (e) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments Includes, The one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments in (a) above may be the same one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments as the one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments in (e) above, and Each gel compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments.

[0224] The appropriate biocompatible gel compartments are the following: (a) The partitioning medium is water, (b) Each of the one or more gels is a gel derived from the polymer defined above (wherein the polymer is preferably a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably agarose), (c) The one or more salts are nontoxic (and preferably lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, pyronine Y chloride or GABA chloride; more preferably, the one or more salts are independently selected from lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride and calcium chloride; most preferably, only one salt is used and the salt used is calcium chloride); and (d) The cationic polymer and the anionic polymer are not polymers having polyacrylamide monomer units (and preferably the cationic polymer is poly-L-lysine hydrochloride, poly-L-histidine hydrochloride, poly-L-arginine hydrochloride, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), poly(allylamine hydrochloride), poly-L-lysine hydrobromide, poly-L-histidine hydrobromide, poly-L-arginine hydrobromide, poly(diallyldimethylammonium bromide), and poly(allylamine hydrobromide); and preferably the anionic polymer is poly(4-sodium styrenesulfonate), poly(3-sodium styrenesulfonate) These include thorium, poly(2-styrenesulfonate sodium), poly-L-glutamate sodium, poly-L-aspartate sodium, poly(sodium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate potassium), poly-L-glutamate potassium, poly-L-aspartate potassium, poly(potassium acrylate), poly(4-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(3-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly(2-styrenesulfonate ammonium), poly-L-glutamate ammonium, poly-L-aspartate ammonium, and poly(ammonium acrylate).

[0225] In all embodiments, the volume of each gel compartment may be 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL. In a particularly preferred embodiment, each compartment has a volume of about 1.84 nL.

[0226] Preferably, at least one compartment within the active power supply unit of the present invention contains magnetic particles. More preferably, all compartments within the power supply unit of the present invention contain magnetic particles. The magnetic particles are, for example, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3) or nickel (Ni) particles. In one embodiment, the magnetic particles are iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3). In another embodiment, the magnetic particles are nickel (Ni) particles. These magnetic particles advantageously enable the active power supply unit of the present invention to be moved remotely using a magnetic field.

[0227] In one embodiment, the active power unit is contained in an active power unit medium. The active power unit medium may be defined in the same way as the definition for the dismantling medium, and as a result, preferably an oil, preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 Hydrocarbons, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbons) and / or silicone oil (preferably poly(C) 1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6 The active power unit medium is an alkyl siloxane, and is particularly preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane. However, in another embodiment, the active power unit medium is a gel, preferably an organogel. The organogel can be defined, including preferred sub-embodiments, as described above in relation to the dismantling medium. Therefore, particularly preferably, the active power unit is contained within a SEBS (poly(styrene-β-ethylene-co-butylene-β-styrene) triblock copolymer) gel.

[0228] In another embodiment, the active power supply unit may be surrounded by amphiphilic molecules. For example, this may be the case when the gelling of the gelling agent converts the droplet row into a row of gel compartments in which each gel compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments, i.e., when the gelling agent of the power supply unit of the present invention is silk fibroin. The active power supply unit of the present invention is typically a soft active power supply unit.

[0229] Active power supply unit (2) As discussed above, the present invention also provides an activated power supply unit that can be obtained by a method for activating the power supply unit of the present invention. The present invention also provides an active power supply unit including a partition row, the partition row is One or more first sections, and One or more second sections Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first sections and the one or more second sections, Each section is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0230] Therefore, the active power supply unit of the present invention is a form of a battery in an active state and contains a potential energy difference across a selectively permeable barrier. In one embodiment, the barrier is a selectively permeable amphiphilic membrane between a first compartment and a second compartment. However, in a preferred embodiment, the barrier is a separator compartment. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the active power supply unit is a power supply unit including a series of compartments, wherein the series of compartments are arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) one or more first sections, (b) One or more separator compartments, and (c) One or more second sections Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first sections and the one or more second sections, Each section is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0231] Those skilled in the art will understand that, in principle, any battery chemistry can be used within the active power supply unit of the present invention to provide a potential energy difference between the one or more first compartments and the one or more second compartments. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the potential energy difference is the relative stability of ions in different ion donor / acceptor materials (i.e., the chemical potential energy difference between when an ion is present in one ion donor / acceptor material and when it is present in the other ion donor / acceptor material). This potential energy difference can be converted into an electromotive force across the barrier when the barrier is made permeable to the ion (e.g., by introducing a channel into an amphiphilic membrane or by using an ion-permeable separator compartment). Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the first compartment is a discharge cathode compartment containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, and the second compartment is a discharge anode compartment containing a second ion donor / acceptor material (where the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material each donate / accept the same ion, one of the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, and the other of the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material is a discharge ion donor material). Thus, there is a driving force for the ion to diffuse from the discharge ion donor material (i.e., the material in which the ion is in a higher chemical potential environment) across the barrier to the discharge ion acceptor material (i.e., the material in which the ion is in a lower chemical potential environment).

[0232] It should be noted that the "discharge cathode compartment" and "discharge anode compartment" are so named because they are the compartments that act as the cathode and anode, respectively, during discharge. Therefore, it will be understood that the discharge cathode compartment acts as the anode (i.e., the anode compartment) during recharging. Similarly, it will be understood that the discharge anode compartment acts as the cathode (i.e., the cathode compartment) during recharging.

[0233] The fact that the aforementioned compartments alternately act as a cathode and anode during discharge and recharge is the reason why the first ion donor / acceptor material and the second ion donor / acceptor material are so named and assigned as a discharge ion acceptor material and a discharge ion donor material. During discharge, one of the first and second ion donor / acceptor materials acts as an ion acceptor material (usually, i.e., if the ions of the ion donor / acceptor material are cations, this is the first ion donor / acceptor material, i.e., the ion donor / acceptor material in the discharge cathode compartment), and the other acts as an ion donor material (usually, i.e., if the ions of the ion donor / acceptor material are cations, this is the second ion donor / acceptor material, i.e., the ion donor / acceptor material in the discharge anode compartment). However, during recharging, the first ion donor / acceptor material switches roles (therefore, normally, i.e., when the ions of the ion donor / acceptor material are cations, the first ion donor / acceptor material (located in the discharge cathode compartment) acts as the ion donor, and the second ion donor / acceptor material (located in the discharge anode compartment) acts as the ion acceptor).

[0234] Therefore, the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit including a series of compartments, wherein the series of compartments are arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more discharge cathode compartments containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more droplets in one or more separator compartments, and (c) One or more droplets of one or more discharge anode compartments containing a second ion donor / acceptor material Includes, Here, -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and Each section is preferably diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0235] In one embodiment, the active power supply unit may be circular in shape. In this embodiment, the partition row is in this order or the reverse order, (a) One or more discharge cathode compartments containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more separator compartments, (c) One or more discharge anode compartments containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, and (d) One or more droplets in one or more separator compartments Includes, At least one of the one or more compartments in (d) above is in contact with the one or more compartments in (a) above, Each section is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent sections.

[0236] In the active power supply unit of the present invention, an increased current can be obtained by arranging a plurality of compartment rows in parallel as appropriate. Therefore, it is preferable that the power supply unit includes a plurality of compartment rows, and that the plurality of compartment rows are arranged in parallel such that identical compartments within each compartment row are adjacent to each other.

[0237] Similarly, the partition arrays can be arranged in series to increase the voltage of the active power supply unit. Specifically, in one embodiment, the partition array includes a further optionally repeated partition sub-array between the one or more partitions of (a) and the one or more partitions of (b), wherein the partition sub-arrays are arranged in this order. (i) One or more separator compartments, (ii) One or more discharge anode compartments containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, (iii) One or more separator compartments, (iv) One or more discharge cathode compartments containing the first ion donor / acceptor material Includes.

[0238] As discussed above, in a broader embodiment of the active power supply of the present invention, the one or more first compartments, the one or more second compartments, and the optional one or more separator compartments are each compartments containing a compartment medium.

[0239] Similarly, the one or more discharge cathode compartments, one or more separator compartments, and one or more discharge anode compartments are each compartments containing a compartmentalizing medium.

[0240] The partitioning medium is preferably defined using the same terminology as the droplet medium described above. Similarly, with the exception of an optional gelling agent (a gel, which will be discussed further below), each compartment preferably contains the same contents as defined above for the corresponding droplet (i.e., the one or more discharge cathode compartments have the same contents as one or more droplets of one or more discharge cathode fluids containing the first ion donor / acceptor material, the one or more separator compartments have the same contents as one or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, and the one or more discharge anode compartments have the same contents as one or more discharge anode fluids containing the second ion donor / acceptor material). Advantageously, each compartment is a gel compartment, and as a result, the one or more discharge cathode compartments are one or more discharge cathode gel compartments, the one or more separator compartments are one or more separator gel compartments, and the one or more discharge anode compartments are one or more discharge anode gel compartments.

[0241] In any case, each gel compartment is a compartment for one or more gels within the compartmentalizing medium. Preferably, the one or more gels in each gel compartment are the same one or more gels. More preferably, each gel compartment is a compartment for one gel, and most preferably, they are compartments for the same one gel. Preferably, each gel is a gel derived from a polymer or a polymerizable monomer or oligomer. Since the compartmentalized medium is most preferably water, the gel is preferably a hydrogel. Typically, the gel derived from the polymer is derived from a polymer selected from polysaccharides (agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose, and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (DNA and RNA, etc.), polyamides (collagen, gelatin, and silk fibroin, most preferably silk fibroin), polyphenols (ligin, etc.), polyesters (polycaprolactone and polylactic acid, etc.), polyethers (polyethylene glycol, etc.), vinyl polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinyl acetate, etc.), acrylate polymers (polyacrylic acid, etc.), and acrylamide polymers (polyacrylamide, etc.). The polymer may be a copolymer or grafted form of one or more of the polymers described above, and may contain functional groups (acryloyl groups, etc.) that enable the polymer to be crosslinked. Preferably, the polymer is a polysaccharide, polynucleic acid, polyamide, or polyphenol. More preferably, the polymer is a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably silk fibroin. Typically, the gel derived from the polymerizable monomer or oligomer is a gel derived from a compound having one or more polymerizable groups, the compound preferably having one or more groups selected from a carboxylic acid group, an aldehyde group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an epoxy group, an alkenyl group, and an alkynyl group. More preferably, the polymerizable monomer or oligomer gelling agent is a compound having an alkenyl group conjugated to one or more electron-withdrawing groups (preferably a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, or an amide group), particularly preferably methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and acrylamide, and most preferably acrylamide. Most preferably, the gel is a polymer-derived gel.

[0242] The gel may be present in the compartment at any concentration. For example, the gel may be present in an amount of 0.1 to 50% w / v, preferably 0.5 to 25% w / v, more preferably 1 to 10% w / v, even more preferably 1.5 to 7% w / v, and most preferably about 5% w / v. In the most preferred embodiment, each gel compartment is a biocompatible gel compartment, and as a result, the one or more discharge cathode compartments are one or more biocompatible discharge cathode gel compartments, the one or more separator compartments are one or more biocompatible separator gel compartments, and the one or more discharge anode compartments are one or more biocompatible discharge anode gel compartments. Therefore, the present invention provides an active power supply unit including a row of biocompatible gel compartments, wherein the row of biocompatible gel compartments is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartments containing a first ion donor / receptor material, (b) One or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and (c) One or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments containing a second ion donor / receptor material Includes, Here, -The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material, and Each biocompatible gel compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent biocompatible gel compartments.

[0243] The appropriate biocompatible gel compartments are the following: (a) The partitioning medium is water, (b) Each of the one or more gels is a gel derived from the polymer defined above (wherein the polymer is preferably a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and most preferably silk fibroin), (c) The mobile ion and mobile counterion are Li ions (Li + Ions), Mg ions (Mg 2+ Ions), K ions (K + Ions), Na ions (Na + ions) and Zn ions (Zn 2+ The ion is Cl, and the mobile counterion is Cl - , Br - SO4 2- and NO3 - Therefore, preferably, the soluble salts of the mobile ion and mobile counterion are MgCl2, MgBr2, MgSO4 and Mg(NO3)2, KCl, KBr, K2SO4 and KNO3, NaCl, NaBr, Na2SO4 and NaNO3, ZnCl2, ZnBr2, ZnSO4 and Zn(NO3)2, LiCl, LiBr, Li2SO4 and LiNO3, more preferably MgCl2, KCl, NaCl, ZnCl2 and LiCl, and most preferably LiCl; and (d) The first and second discharge ion donor / acceptor materials are aqueous stable materials (for example, the charge carrier (i.e., the ion) is a Li cation (i.e., Li + If it is an ion, - The Li ion acceptor material is lithium manganese oxide (e.g., LiMn2O4), lithium manganese nickel oxide (e.g., LiMn (2-x) Ni x O4, for example, LiMn 1.5 Ni 0.5 Selected from O4), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), more preferably lithium manganese oxide, and most preferably LiMn2O4; and - The Li ion donor material is molybdenum sulfide (e.g., Mo6S8) and lithium titanate (e.g., Li4Ti5O 12Selected from ), more preferably lithium titanate, and most preferably Li4Ti5O 12 (That is.)

[0244] In all embodiments, the volume of each gel compartment may be 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL. In a particularly preferred embodiment, each compartment has a volume of about 1.84 nL. Preferably, at least one droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention contains magnetic particles. More preferably, all droplets in the power supply unit of the present invention contain magnetic particles. The magnetic particles are, for example, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3) or nickel (Ni) particles. In one embodiment, the magnetic particles are iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe2O3). In another embodiment, the magnetic particles are nickel (Ni) particles. These magnetic particles advantageously enable the power supply unit of the present invention to be moved remotely using a magnetic field.

[0245] In one embodiment, the active power unit is contained in an active power unit medium. The active power unit medium may be defined in the same way as the definition for the dismantling medium, and as a result, preferably an oil, preferably a hydrocarbon oil (preferably C 8-30 Hydrocarbons, more preferably C 10-20 hydrocarbons) and / or silicone oil (preferably poly(C) 1-6 Alkyl)siloxane or polyphenyl(C) 1-6The active power unit medium is an alkyl siloxane, and is particularly preferably undecane and / or polyphenylmethylsiloxane. However, in another embodiment, the active power unit medium is a gel, preferably an organogel. The organogel can be defined, including preferred sub-embodiments, as described above in relation to the dismantling medium. Therefore, particularly preferably, the active power unit is contained within a SEBS (poly(styrene-β-ethylene-co-butylene-β-styrene) triblock copolymer) gel. In another embodiment, the active power supply unit may be surrounded by amphiphilic molecules. For example, this may be the case when the gelling of the gelling agent converts the droplet row into a row of gel compartments in which each gel compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments, i.e., when the gelling agent of the power supply unit of the present invention is silk fibroin. The active power supply unit of the present invention is typically a soft active power supply unit.

[0246] kit In view of the foregoing, the present invention further provides a component kit comprising the power supply unit and dismantling medium of the present invention. To avoid any doubt, the dismantling medium is the dismantling medium defined above in relation to the method for activating the power supply unit of the present invention.

[0247] device As discussed above, the present invention is (a) Power supply unit according to the present invention, or active power supply unit according to the present invention, and (b) One or more electronic components We provide a device that includes this. Typically, the device is configured to supply power to the electronic components when the power supply unit of the present invention is in an active state (i.e., when current is generated). The device is not limited to, for example, a wearable device or a mobile device. Alternatively, the device may be a biointegrated device such as a biohybrid interface or implant, or it may be a synthetic tissue or a microrobot. Specifically, the device may be a pacemaker. The aforementioned electronic component is not limited to, but could be, for example, an LED or a pulse generating circuit. Accordingly, the present invention further provides a use for supplying power to a device having one or more electronic components, the power supply unit of the present invention or the active power supply unit of the present invention. The device may optionally be a biohybrid interface, an implant, a synthetic tissue, or a microrobot. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the device is a pacemaker. To avoid any doubt, the device may include a plurality of power supply units or active power supply units of the present invention, wherein the power supply units or active power supply units are appropriately connected (in series or parallel) by electronically conductive means.

[0248] Method for generating ionic current The present invention provides a method for generating an ionic current, and the method is (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient, and a step of activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention. or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient. It includes one of the following steps. Therefore, as a result of the method of the present invention, during discharge, current flows within the compartment (the compartment formed from the droplet) in the direction from the high-salt compartment to the low-salt compartment via the cation-selective compartment, and / or in the direction from the low-salt compartment to the high-salt compartment via the anion-selective compartment.

[0249] The present invention also provides a method for generating an ionic current when the power supply unit and the active power supply unit of the present invention themselves do not involve an ionic gradient as battery chemistry. Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for generating an ionic current when the power supply unit and the active power supply unit are for generating an electric current. In this embodiment, the power supply unit or active power supply unit typically includes a conversion means for converting an electric current to an ionic current. In some embodiments, the conversion means may be a redox active material such as a conductive polymer as defined in relation to an electronically conductive material. Most preferably, the conversion means is a mixture of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and poly2-styrene sulfonate (i.e., PEDOT:PSS). The conversion means may be contained in the discharge anode droplet and / or discharge cathode droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention, or in the discharge anode compartment and / or discharge cathode droplet in the active power supply unit of the present invention, or in a droplet or compartment adjacent to or diffusively continuous with the anode / cathode droplet or compartment. Preferably, the conversion means is contained within a droplet or compartment adjacent to or diffusively continuous with the anode / cathode droplet or compartment. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the present invention provides a method for generating an ionic current, and the method is (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit for generating current and further includes a conversion means, and a step of activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention. or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient that generates and further includes a conversion means. It includes one of the following steps. Therefore, the present invention further provides a use for using the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit of the present invention for generating ion current.

[0250] Use to drive the migration of charged molecules The present invention provides a use for the activated power supply unit according to the present invention for the transfer of charged molecules, for example, from one cell (synthetic cell or biological cell) to another cell. Typically, the use is for the transfer of charged molecules from one synthetic cell to another synthetic cell. The synthetic cell may include, for example, an aqueous droplet in an oily suspension medium (as defined above), or, for example, an aqueous droplet surrounded by an amphiphilic membrane (as defined above). If the cell is an aqueous droplet surrounded by an amphiphilic membrane (as defined above), the amphiphilic membrane usually includes pore proteins (such as α-hemolysin) to enable the diffusion of charged molecules. Typically, cells that receive the charged molecules are called charged molecule target cells, and cells that are sources of the charged molecules are called charged molecule supply cells. The charged molecule target cells and the charged molecule supply cells are usually connected directly or diffusively through one or more other cells.

[0251] The use for driving the migration of the aforementioned charged molecules is, (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient, and a step of activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention. or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient. Includes one of the following steps: Here, the power supply unit or the active power supply unit is in the presence of the charged molecular target cell or is diffusely connected to the cell.

[0252] In another embodiment, the use for driving the transition may include converting the current generated by the active power supply unit according to the present invention into an ionic current. In this embodiment, the power supply unit or active power supply unit typically includes a conversion means for converting the current into an ionic current. In one embodiment, the conversion means may be a redox active material such as a conductive polymer as defined in relation to an electron-conducting material. Most preferably, the conversion means is a mixture of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and poly2-styrene sulfonate (i.e., PEDOT:PSS). The conversion means may be contained in the discharge anode droplet and / or discharge cathode droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention, or in the discharge anode compartment and / or discharge cathode droplet in the active power supply unit of the present invention, or in a droplet or compartment adjacent to or diffusively continuous with the anode / cathode droplet or compartment. Preferably, the conversion means is contained in a droplet or compartment adjacent to or diffusively continuous with the anode / cathode droplet or compartment.

[0253] In this embodiment, the use for driving the migration of the charged molecules is (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit for generating current and further includes a conversion means, and a step of activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention. or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient that generates and further includes a conversion means. Includes one of the following steps: Here, the power supply unit or the active power supply unit is in the presence of the charged molecular target cell or is diffusely connected to the cell.

[0254] Methods for generating electric current As discussed above, the present invention provides a method for generating electric current, and the method is (i) Providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, connecting two droplets in the droplet row by an electronically conductive means, and activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention, or (ii) Providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, and connecting two compartments in the compartment row by an electronically conductive means. It includes one of the following steps. Preferably, the electronically conductive means includes electrodes, i.e., a cathode and an anode. In the ion gradient system of the present invention, the cathode and the anode are chemically active. The chemically active cathode may be, for example, a silver chloride electrode. The chemically active anode may be, for example, a silver electrode. In an ionic gradient system having droplets / compartments (a) to (c), where droplet / compartment (b) is cation-selective, the anode is preferably located in droplet (a) and the cathode is preferably located in droplet (c). In an ionic gradient system having droplets / compartments (a) to (c), where droplet / compartment (b) is anion-selective, the anode is preferably located in droplet (c) and the cathode is preferably located in droplet (a). In an ion gradient system having droplets / compartments (a) to (e), the anode is preferably located in droplet / compartment (a), and the cathode is preferably located in droplet / compartment (e). Therefore, as a result of the method of the present invention, during discharge, a current flows within the compartment (the compartment formed from the droplet) from the anode to the cathode, from the high-salt compartment to the low-salt compartment via the cation-selective compartment, and / or from the low-salt compartment to the high-salt compartment via the anion-selective compartment. More precisely, in a relative ionic stability system, the electron-conducting means can be any means capable of conducting electrons, and typically the electron-conducting means connects droplet / compartment (a) and droplet / compartment (c). Therefore, the present invention further provides a use for using the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit of the present invention for generating electric current.

[0255] A method for recharging a depleted power supply unit of the present invention. After discharge, the active power supply unit of the present invention is referred to as a depleted power supply unit of the present invention. Therefore, the depleted power supply unit corresponds to the active power supply unit of the present invention, but differs in that there is no (or substantially no) potential energy difference between the compartments. In the case of a depleted power supply unit using an ion gradient, the concentrations of the one or more salts in the high-salt compartment and the salt diffusion target compartment are the same. In the case of a depleted power supply unit using a relative ion stability system, the discharge ion acceptor material accepts all (or substantially all) ions donated by the discharge ion donor material. Accordingly, the present invention further provides a method for recharging a depleted active power unit of the present invention, the method comprising applying an electric current across the depleted active power unit of the present invention. Preferably, the method comprises the steps of providing a depleted active power unit according to the present invention, connecting two compartments in the compartment row by an electronically conductive means, and applying an electric current across the compartment row. Preferably, the electronically conductive means includes electrodes, i.e., a cathode and an anode. In the ion gradient system of the present invention, the cathode and the anode are chemically active. The chemically active anode may be, for example, a silver chloride electrode. The chemically active cathode may be, for example, a silver electrode. In an ionic gradient system having droplets / compartments (a) to (c), where droplet / compartment (b) is cation-selective, the cathode is preferably located in droplet (a) and the anode is preferably located in droplet (c). In an ionic gradient system having droplets / compartments (a) to (c), where droplet / compartment (b) is anion-selective, the cathode is preferably located in droplet (c) and the anode is preferably located in droplet (a). In an ion gradient system having droplets / compartments (a) to (e), the cathode is preferably located in droplet / compartment (a), and the anode is preferably located in droplet / compartment (e).

[0256] More precisely, in a relative ionic stability system, the electron-conducting means can be any means capable of conducting electrons, and typically the electron-conducting means connects droplet / compartment (a) and droplet / compartment (c). The current is applied across the depleted power supply unit of the present invention in the opposite direction to the direction of current flow during discharge. As a result, the recharge current flows within the compartment (the compartment formed from the droplet) from the anode to the cathode, from the low-salt compartment to the high-salt compartment via the cation-selective compartment, and / or from the high-salt compartment to the low-salt compartment via the anion-selective compartment. As a result, ions (such as Li ions) flow within the compartment (the compartment formed from the droplet) from the discharge ion acceptor material to the discharge ion donor material via the separator. Therefore, when the power supply unit is a power supply unit having an ion gradient, the method for recharging the depleted active power supply unit uses the principle of reverse electrodialysis.

[0257] Methods for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues As discussed above, the present invention provides a method for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues, the method being: (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient, and a step of activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention. or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit having an ion gradient. Includes one of the following steps: Here, one or more cells or tissues are contained within the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention, or are present in the presence of the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention. Preferably, the one or more cells or tissues are contained within a power supply unit or an activated power supply unit according to the present invention. Most preferably, the one or more cells or tissues are contained within the salt diffusion target droplet / compartment. Preferably, the one or more cells are neurons. Preferably, the one or more tissues are brain tissue.

[0258] In response to this, the present invention provides a method for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues, the method being: (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit (preferably having relative ion stability battery chemistry), and a step of activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to the present invention. or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to the present invention, wherein the active power supply unit of the present invention is a power supply unit (preferably having relative ion stability battery chemistry). Includes one of the following steps: Here, one or more cells or tissues are contained within the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention, or are present in the presence of the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention. Preferably, the one or more cells or tissues are in the presence of the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention. Most preferably, the one or more cells or tissues are adjacent to (preferably in contact with) the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit according to the present invention. Preferably, the one or more cells are cardiomyocytes. Preferably, the one or more tissues are cardiac tissue. Optionally, the cardiac tissue may be located throughout the heart, and as a result, regulating the activity of the tissue may be useful in treating cardiac diseases such as ventricular arrhythmias (e.g., ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation). Therefore, the power supply unit of the present invention can be used for cardiac defibrillation. Accordingly, the present invention further provides a use for using the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit of the present invention to regulate the activity of one or more cells or tissues. Accordingly, the present invention provides a use for the power supply unit or the activated power supply unit of the present invention in regulating the activity of a cell construct. The cell construct may be a brain organoid or an assembroid. Furthermore, the present invention further provides a use for the power supply unit or the active power supply unit of the present invention in in vivo energy delivery. [Examples]

[0259] Example 1 Biointegrated devices require power to operate. 1,2 Wired energy supply or wireless energy conversion from a battery. 3 Despite the existence of widely used technologies capable of supplying power to large-scale objects, the need to efficiently stimulate cells and tissues at the microscale remains urgent. An ideal miniaturized power supply should be biocompatible, mechanically flexible, and capable of generating ionic currents for biological stimulation rather than relying on the flow of electrons in conventional electronic devices. 4-6 An interesting approach is to use a soft power supply inspired by electric eels. 7,8A power supply possessing the required capabilities has yet to be manufactured. This is because it is difficult to obtain a miniaturized unit that retains its internal energy before use while also being easily triggered to produce energy output. In this specification, we develop a miniaturized soft power supply by dropping a network of lipid-supported nanoliter hydrogel droplets that generate energy using an internal ion gradient. Original electric eel concept design 7 In comparison, our approach reduces the volume of the power supply unit by 10 5 It can be reduced to more than twice its original size and store energy for more than 24 hours, resulting in approximately 1300W m -3 This enables on-demand operation at a power density 680 times greater. Our droplet devices can function as biocompatible biological ion current sources for regulating neuronal network activity in 3D neural microtissues and ex vivo mouse brain slices. Our soft microscale ionotronics can be integrated into living organisms.

[0260] Main text Compared to conventional bulky batteries, soft microscale power supplies are expected to offer improved biocompatibility and flexibility. 9 The electric organ of the electric eel is an interesting example of a biological energy source that generates electricity using ion flux. This includes studies investigating the power generation behavior of the organ and studies developing large-scale power arrays spanning several hundred square centimeters that mimic this behavior. 7,8 Although several such devices exist, no multi-compartment microscale ion power supply has been fabricated that can operate on demand and interact with living cells. In this specification, we describe a nanoliter lipid-supported hydrogel droplet network that generates energy output by utilizing an internal ion gradient. 10-12We report a miniaturized soft power supply fabricated by droplet deposition. The droplet power supply stores energy at high density, is biocompatible, and is mechanically flexible, expandable, and portable after encapsulation. We connect neuron-containing droplets to the droplet device to provide intracellular Ca 2+ This study demonstrates that ion current regulation of neuronal network activity is possible through wave stimulation.

[0261] Biomimetic soft ion power supply The power generation capacity of electric eels (e.g., Electrophorus electricus) depends on stacking thousands of electric cells in series (Extended Data Figure 1), where cation Na + and K + However, driven by the concentration gradient, it passes in one direction through ion-selective protein channels in the cell membrane. 13,14 We mimicked the general arrangement and mechanism of the electric organ of the electric eel by sequentially combining five aqueous nanoliter Pregel (agarose) droplets (Figure 1a). In a single unit, the droplets were arranged in the order of high salt (e.g., CaCl2, KCl, or NaCl), cation selectivity, low salt, anion selectivity, and yet another high salt droplet. The droplets were dropped into a lipid-containing oil using an electron microinjector (Method). The droplets were initially surrounded by a lipid monolayer, and upon contact with each other, formed a droplet interface bilayer (DIB) within seconds, resulting in the formation of a stabilized, unsupported structure. 12,15 (Figure 1b). To activate the power supply, the assembled droplets were transferred to a lipid-free oil to remove lipids and dismantle the DIB. The droplets were then gelled at 4°C to form a continuous hydrogel structure (Figure 1c, Supplementary Figure 1, Extended Data Figure 2).

[0262] A major advantage of our strategy is that, prior to transfer to the lipid-free environment and gelation, each droplet is separated from its neighbors by a lipid bilayer, which mechanically stabilizes the structure while preventing ion flow between droplets. After the breakdown of the insulating lipid bilayer, ions move through the conductive hydrogel from high-salt droplets to low-salt droplets and pass through the selectively permeable compartment. 12,16 (Supplementary note 1). Use a chemically active Ag / AgCl electrode. 10,17 As a result, the energy released from the salt gradient is converted into electricity, and the hydrogel structure can function as an energy source to supply power to external components (Figure 1d). Lipids play a crucial role in enabling the formation of a stable droplet network, preventing energy dissipation, and allowing on-demand activation of the power supply activity. Our approach provides a means to construct a microscale soft ion power source, which has not been achieved conventionally. 7,8 (Supplementary Note 2). In addition to liquid oil, we also used thermoreversible organogels to dismantle DIBs and create self-contained, portable droplet power sources. 18,19 Poly(styrene-β-ethylene-CO-butylene-β-styrene) triblock copolymer (SEBS), an organogel precursor, was dissolved in a high-melting-point alkane mixture to obtain a gel-liquid transition temperature of less than 37°C (Supplementary Figure 2). The molten organogel (37-40°C) was used as a lipid-free medium to function as a substitute for lipid-free oil used during DIB dismantling. The organogel solidified together with the droplet power source during a gelation process at 4°C. After gelation, the organogel-droplet composite was gently peeled from the mold to obtain a self-supporting, encapsulated droplet power source. The organogel encapsulation was able to withstand compression and torsion (Figure 1d) and prevented ion leakage under physiological conditions (Extended Data Figure 3), thereby significantly extending the portability of the droplet power source for potential implantable and wearable applications. 20,21 .

[0263] The electrical output of a single power supply unit was measured before and after activation (Figure 1e). After assembly, droplets in lipid-containing oil (50 nL each, with a 200-fold salt concentration gradient) adhered to each other via the DIB. We left the structure at room temperature (25°C) for 5 minutes to partially gel the droplets and reach their equilibrium contact angle. When electrodes were inserted into the two droplets at the high-salt ends, no current was recorded, indicating that the insulating properties of the DIB prevented energy dissipation. Next, the lipids were removed with lipid-free oil, and an ion conduction pathway was established by triggering complete gelation at 4°C for 1 minute. The activated droplet power supply generated 127 mV in the open circuit (V OC This value was comparable to the potential (100-150mV) generated by a single electrical cell. Short-circuit current (I SC The current reached a peak value of 2.2 μA within a few seconds, and then gradually decreased in consistency with the simulation due to the limited amount of encapsulated salt (100 nmol in each of the two high-salt droplets) (Supplementary Figure 3). The output current remained at approximately 30 nA even after 30 minutes. Furthermore, the droplet power supply could be stored and used on demand, as ensured by its robust hydrogel composition (Supplementary Figure 4) and insulating DIB. To test energy retention over time, we stored the droplet power supply in a lipid-containing oil (Figure 1f). After activation, the droplet power supply remained V even after 36 hours of storage. OC The variation was less than 10%. Over the same period, the volume of the droplets decreased slightly, which was likely due to water loss.

[0264] Output optimization To improve the output performance of the droplet power supply, we analyzed several key parameters that affect the power generation behavior based on the principle of inverse electrodialysis. 17,22In other words, an ion gradient across a selectively permeable membrane generates an electromotive force across that membrane. First, the type of salt, concentration gradient, and external resistance were optimized. Calcium chloride produced the highest output voltage compared to sodium chloride and potassium chloride at the same salt concentration (Supplementary Figure 5a). Charged organic compounds can also form a concentration gradient under specific conditions and can be used to construct a power supply (Supplementary Figure 5b). Increasing the concentration ratio (gradient) between high-salt and low-salt droplets increased the output voltage (Extended Data Figure 4), but decreasing the low salt concentration to produce a larger ratio increased the internal resistance of the droplet power supply, thus decreasing the output current (Supplementary Note 3). Next, using an optimal 200x CaCl2 gradient, the dependence of output voltage, current, and power on external resistance was measured, and it was shown that the resistance of a power supply unit consisting of 50 nL droplets was approximately 78 kΩ, and the maximum output power was approximately 75 nW. One advantage of using lipid-supported hydrogel droplets to construct soft power supplies is their ease of miniaturization. Reducing the droplet volume from 1000 nL to 1.84 nL (a 99.8% reduction) resulted in a corresponding decrease in output voltage (a 36% decrease, from 136 mV to 87 mV) and current (a 70% decrease, from 2.7 μA to 0.83 μA) (Figure 2a). These decreases may be due to an increase in the internal resistance of the droplet (Supplementary Note 3) and an increase in concentration polarization across the selective droplet. 23 However, these decreases were small compared to the volume reduction. In fact, the average energy density at matching resistance increased by about 100 times to about 1300 W m after the reduction to 1.84 nL per droplet. -3 This represents an increase of approximately 680 times compared to the previous electric eel design concept. 7 This represented an approximately five-fold increase compared to subsequent paper-gel designs. 8 (Figure 2b, Extended Data Table 1). Although the total discharged charge was lower with the miniaturized power supply (Figure 2b, Supplementary Figure 6), we were able to increase the output voltage and / or current by combining multiple power supply units in series and / or parallel. OC It increases with the number of serial units, I SC Furthermore, the total amount of discharged charge increases with the number of parallel units (Figure 2c).

[0265] Expandable power network For larger droplet networks, it is important to increase the contact area between different functional droplet layers without increasing droplet thickness. This is because the internal resistance of a droplet is negatively correlated with the contact area and positively correlated with its thickness (Supplementary Note 3). Therefore, increasing the number of units in series or parallel while maintaining low internal resistance and small size increases the output voltage or output current, respectively. To scale up the assembly of small droplets for large-scale applications, we employed a template method, dropping multiple droplets into a 3D printed resin mold to fabricate power supply units with pre-designed patterns (Figures 3a and 3b). Template-assisted self-assembly of spherical units ranging from nanoscale to microscale is widely used to fabricate patterned structures. 24,25 The attractive forces between units and constraints within the template are the two conditions necessary for self-assembly. 26 In this specification, the formation of lipid-based DIBs provides an attractive force between droplets (spring constant approximately 4 mN m -1 (Tensile strength approximately 25 Pa) 11 On the other hand, the mold boundary limits the separation of the droplets. We fabricated cylindrical molds with an inner diameter of 600 μm, approximately three times the diameter of a 4 nL droplet. Seven droplets (4 nL) were dropped into each mold, and they spontaneously self-assembled into a hexagonal "flower" pattern within seconds (Figures 3c and 3d, Methods). Five self-assembling droplet hexagons, each containing contents corresponding to five droplets of a power unit, were then stacked in deeper cylindrical molds to form a larger, three-dimensional power network (Figure 3e). An even larger network consisting of 20 hexagons (28 units, 140 droplets) was also formed in less than 10 minutes (Figure 3e). The automation of the construction process is possible with a 3D droplet printer. 11,27,28 This can be achieved using [a specific method / technology], which allows for the creation of a droplet network consisting of thousands of power supply units. To demonstrate the increased output power achieved by a multi-droplet aggregate, we assembled 20 five-droplet units in series within a helical template (Figure 3f). High-salt droplets were added first, followed by cation-selective droplets, then low-salt droplets, and finally anion-selective droplets (Figure 3g). The template constrained the droplets during addition, and the DIB (Digital Isolation Block) ensured close, chain-like adhesion between the droplets. This structure was maintained even after cleaning with lipid-free oil. The helical power supply was able to illuminate a light-emitting diode (LED) requiring an applied potential of approximately 2V (Figure 3h). The output power was also sufficient for additional applications such as charging capacitors and powering pulse generators (Supplementary Figure 7). Importantly, the droplet power supply could be recharged via electrodialysis by applying a reverse potential (200mV) to the droplet network. 29,30 As a result, even after 10 discharges, the original I SC Over 60% recovered (Supplementary Figure 8).

[0266] Neuronal regulation by generated ion currents We investigated the effect of our droplet device on neuronal activity. High-salt and ion-selective droplets function together as an open-type droplet device, which can be connected to external components through its terminals (Figure 4a). When this open-type device is connected to a droplet with a lower ion concentration, a conductive pathway is established through the connected droplet, allowing an ionic current (approximately 2.6 μA) to flow (Figures 4b and c, Supplementary Figure 9). When neurons are embedded in the low-salt droplet, the generated extracellular ion current stimulates individual neuronal activity. 4,31 It regulates, which in turn affects the activity of the neuronal network. 32This reflects the following. To test this, we used a microfluidic printer to create neural microtissues consisting of Matrigel spheres (approximately 570 μm in diameter) containing human neural progenitor cells (NPCs). The neural microtissues were coated with a low-salt agarose hydrogel containing neuron culture medium to form neuron-containing droplets (Figure 4a: red droplets, methods, Supplementary Figure 10). The droplet device was then connected to the neuron-containing droplets in a circular container (Supplementary Figure 11). When 0.5 M CaCl2 was used in the high-salt droplets, the neurons maintained high viability even after 10 minutes of adjustment, as verified by cell viability assays with PrestoBlue, viability / death staining with Calcein-AM and propidium iodide (PI), and immunofluorescence staining with neuron marker TUJ1 and apoptosis marker caspase 3 (Expanded Data Figure 5). Neuronal activity was confirmed with Fluo-4 Direct as an intracellular calcium dye. TM Measured by confocal imaging using 28,33 This does not respond to extracellular calcium (Methods, Supplementary Note 4, Supplementary Figure 12). Time-lapse recording revealed the spatiotemporal course of neuronal regulation when the droplet device was connected to neuron-containing droplets (Figure 4d). The correlation between neuronal activity and ion current indicated that the activity was induced by the droplet device and not spontaneous. 34,35 .

[0267] The regulation of neuronal activity was observed in neural microtissues cultured for different periods (3 days, 10 days, and 17 days) and in ex vivo mouse brain slices, with Ca 2+This was demonstrated by applying a base ion current (Supplementary Figure 13). The droplet device contained 0.5 M CaCl2 in a high-salt droplet. No ion current was generated in direct contact with the 0.5 M CaCl2 droplet, and no significant changes were observed in intracellular calcium fluctuations of neurons within 10 minutes of regulation (Expanded Data Figure 6). In contrast, stronger fluorescence was observed when the ion current generated by the droplet device flowed from left to right through the neuronal network in droplet #1. Furthermore, the enhanced fluorescence spread directionally from left to right along the nerve microtissue on day 3, forming a wave-like fluorescence pattern. 32 This indicates that the nerve microtissue was locally regulated by ionic currents on day 3 (Supplementary Video 1). The regulation was Ca 2+ and Cl - To further confirm that the changes were induced by ionic currents rather than by changes in the extracellular concentration of specific ions such as Ca, we investigated the following: 2+ An electrical input was applied to nerve microtissue embedded in droplets without ions using an Ag / AgCl electrode (Expanded data Figure 6). Due to the redox chemistry of the Ag / AgCl electrode, the electrical input was determined by the ion concentration or Cl concentration. - Ionic currents can be induced without causing significant changes in the gradient. By applying an input current intensity equivalent to that of our droplet device, we can induce similar intracellular Ca2+ signals within the neuronal network. 2+ We observed that waves were generated (Supplementary Note 5). Furthermore, we applied the membrane potential-sensitive dye FluoVolt to nerve microtissue during regulation with our droplet device. TM The method was applied. The results showed that the droplet device influenced the alteration of neuronal membrane potential and the induction of depolarization (Methods, Extended Data Figure 7).

[0268] In contrast, in experiments using 17-day neural microtissue, neurons in droplet #1 were simultaneously regulated within 15 seconds of being connected to the droplet device and did not exhibit the wave-like fluorescence pattern previously observed in the 3-day neural microtissue (Figure 4d, Supplementary Video 2). To quantify the displacement of ion current regulation indicated by fluorescence intensity, we calculated the fluorescence center (weighted average distance) of each network (Figure 4e, Methods). The 17-day neural microtissue showed similar fluorescence displacement to ex vivo mouse brain tissue, which was significantly lower than the displacement in the 3-day and 10-day neural microtissues (Figure 4f, Extended Data Figures 8 and 9). The 17-day neural microtissue also showed induced Ca compared to its 3-day counterpart. 2+ The wave propagation speed is fast, this is from previous research 36 This was consistent with (Supplementary Figure 14). These results suggest that the neurons gradually formed interconnected neural networks during long-term culture, resulting in regulated simultaneous responses. 37,38 Ca derived from the aforementioned droplet device 2+ The base ion current likely induces the release of excitatory messengers. 32,39 It is thought that this regulation is then transmitted to connected neurons, resulting in simultaneous regulation within the neuronal network (Supplementary Note 5). To test our hypothesis that the estimated network activity is related to synaptic activity, we treated 17-day-old nerve microtissue with 30 μM γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces intracellular potential and, consequently, the effectiveness of excitatory input. 40 The expression of GABA receptors in the NPCs used in the experiment had previously been demonstrated by immunofluorescence staining. 41 In the presence of GABA (Figure 4f, extended data Figure 8), neurons derived from nerve microtissue on day 17 did not show simultaneous regulation, the wave fluorescence pattern was partially restored, and an increase in fluorescence displacement was observed under regulation by ionic current. These results suggest that biocompatible droplet devices can regulate neuronal network activity in nerve microtissue.

[0269] summary We designed a microscale soft ion power supply based on the electric organ of the electric eel. Our power supply is a combination of conventional attempts. 7 Unlike, the unit volume is 10 5 It is more than twice as powerful, can operate on demand, and has a 680-fold increase in power density to approximately 1300W m -3 This is the case. We believe our droplet device is capable of supporting intracellular Ca 2+ We demonstrated that stimulating waves can generate extracellular ion currents that regulate neuronal network activity. SEBS and other encapsulation methods enable the ion power supply to power wearables and other mobile devices. Since the power supply of the present invention functions under physiological conditions, it can be used in vivo for biological regulation. Current droplet power supplies utilize temperature changes to irreversibly trigger their activity and require SEBS encapsulation to function under aqueous conditions. Aqueous transfer and dewetting methods. 42 In combination with, and light-controllable lipids 43 or membrane protein 44 By using this technology, in vivo applications can be achieved by fabricating 3D-printed droplet power supplies with remote and reversible on / off switches in an aqueous environment. Based on this, other stimulus-responsive materials such as magnetic particles can be used. 12 By incorporating it into a hydrogel, it can be given remotely controlled mobility for in vivo energy delivery through confined biological environments. The power supply of the present invention can be used to power next-generation biohybrid interfaces, implants, synthetic tissues, and microrobots. The droplet device can also be used in brain organoids. 45,46 and assembleroid 47 This also enables the regulation of various miniaturized cell constructs.

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[0275] Method Hydrogel material All materials were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Merck KGaA). For all droplet power supplies, hydrogel scaffolds were constructed using low gelling temperature (LGT) agarose. This material has sufficient gel strength for fabrication at or near room temperature. Other materials were dissolved by sonication (Branson 2800) in Milli-Q water for 30 minutes, and then mixed with LGT agarose powder to form various precursor solutions (pregels). The final pregels contained 2% w / v LGT agarose and had the following compositions: High-salt hydrogel: 2M CaCl2. Low-salt hydrogel: 0.01M CaCl2, 10% v / v poly(ethylene glycol) (number-average molecular weight 400). If necessary, NaCl and KCl can be replaced with CaCl2 (Supplementary Figure 5). However, to obtain the optimal output voltage, CaCl2 was used during electrical measurements unless otherwise specified. The cation-selective hydrogel contained 20% w / v poly(4-styrenesulfonate sodium) (average molecular weight 70,000), and the anion-selective hydrogel contained 20% w / v poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (average molecular weight 50,000). The pregel solution was first heated to 90°C to dissolve the agarose, and then maintained in a molten state at 37°C before and during droplet addition. Food coloring was used only for photographic purposes and was not included during electrical recording or biological experiments.

[0276] Preparation of lipid / oil solutions Agarose pregel droplets were dropped into a lipid-containing oil to acquire a lipid coating, and subsequently, when the droplets came into contact with each other, a lipid bilayer was formed at the interface. The lipids were purchased in powder form from Avanti Polar Lipids and stored at -80°C. Undecane and silicone oil AR20 (Sigma-Aldrich) were filtered through a 0.22 μm filter (Corning) under vacuum before use. The lipid membrane was prepared by returning the ampoule to room temperature and adding 25 mg mL of lipid to anhydrous chloroform (Sigma-Aldrich). -1The lipid stock solution was prepared by dissolving the lipids in chloroform. Using a glass syringe (Hamilton), lipid stock solutions of 1,2-difitanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC, 90 μL) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC, 40 μL) were transferred to a glass vial (Supelco, 7 mL) with a Teflon cap that had been washed with isopropanol. The chloroform was evaporated under a gentle flow of nitrogen while rotating the vial by hand to form a uniform lipid film. The film was dried under vacuum for 24 hours and stored under nitrogen at -80°C until use. When droplet preparation was required, the film was left at room temperature for 30 minutes, then 2 mL of a premixed solution of undecane and silicone oil (volume ratio 35:65) was added to the film, followed by sonication (Branson 2800) for 1 hour. The total lipid concentration was 2 mM, and the molar ratio of DPhPC:POPC was 2:1. The lipid membrane was retained for up to 2 months.

[0277] Droplet power supply The droplets were formed in custom-made transparent resin molds fabricated using a 3D printer (Formlabs, Solid Print3D). Various self-assembling patterns were formed depending on the mold shape. Typically, 200 μL of lipid-containing oil was packed into the mold. Droplets of Pregel solution were printed within each mold using a programmable microinjector (FemtoJet, Eppendorf). This device ejected droplets ranging in volume from femtoliters to microliters from a filled glass nozzle (Femtotips, Eppendorf). Single-droplet power units were obtained by dropping droplets into contact with each other, forming a bilayer at the interface, which occurred within seconds. Larger droplet networks self-assembled within the template into pre-designed shapes such as hexagonal "flower" patterns (Figure 3). After formation, the droplet network, along with the surrounding oil, was drawn into the truncated pipette tip by capillary action, where it could be rearranged, stacked, or arranged three-dimensionally within a deeper template. An infrared (IR) heater (Beurer, 150W) was used to maintain the nozzle and resin mold temperature at approximately 37°C. After fabrication, the droplet power source could be stored in a lipid / oil solution in a humidified incubator at 37°C for more than two days to prevent water evaporation without energy dissipation due to insulating DIBs (Figure 1f).

[0278] Trigger activation of droplet power supply To use the power supply, the lipid insulation was removed by transferring the power supply to a lipid-free oil solution and triggering complete gelation at low temperature. Specifically, the dropped droplet power supply was left at room temperature (approximately 22°C) for 5 minutes to partially gel the agarose and allow the droplet to reach its equilibrium contact angle. Next, the lipid / oil solution was removed from the mold, and then the droplet power supply was cleaned with silicone oil by adding 500 μL of fresh, lipid-free silicone oil. After transfer to the lipid-free oil, the droplet power supply was moved to a refrigerator (4°C) for 1 minute to completely destroy the insulating DIB, resulting in the formation of a continuous hydrogel structure. A Peltier cooler (14W, 62×62mm, RS PRO) and a heat sink (85×85×6mm, RS PRO) were incorporated into the bottom of the droplet measurement system for in-situ measurement of electrical output during DIB rupture and low-temperature gelation (Expanded Data Figure 2). This integration enables droplet dispensing, power supply activation, and electrical measurement within an all-in-one setup.

[0279] Enclosing a droplet power supply The polymer-based organogel contains SEBS (molecular weight approximately 118,000, Sigma-Aldrich), 1% by weight of F68 flakes (Pluronic, Sigma-Aldrich), and 20 mg mL of undecane / hexadecane oil (volume ratio 50:50). -1 The mixture was prepared by mixing at the specified concentration. The mixture was then stirred in a sealed vial at 95°C. Once a clear liquid was formed, it was cooled to 37-40°C before use. Organogel encapsulation was performed by replacing the silicone oil with the molten polymer-oil mixture in the final oil transfer step. The droplet power supply was washed and coated with lipid-free organogel (1 mL). After transfer to the organogel, the encapsulated droplet power supply was moved to a refrigerator (4°C) where the organogel solidified. The final construct was gently removed from the mold to form a self-supporting droplet power supply. The electrodes can penetrate the solidified organogel for power output measurement.

[0280] Characterization of droplet power supply We used Ag / AgCl wire electrodes (100 μm diameter, Sigma-Aldrich) to contact the high-salt droplets, which constituted both the first and final sections of the droplet power supply. The ion flux within the droplets was converted into electron flow in the external circuit (Supplementary Note 1). We used a Keithley 617 programmable multimeter, set to voltage measurement mode with a high input impedance of approximately 2 TΩ, and current measurement mode as a feedback picoammeter, and measured V OC and I SC The following was recorded. The effective output power of the droplet power supply was evaluated by monitoring the voltage and current at resistance values ​​in the range of 0.01 to 0.5 MΩ.

[0281] simulation To verify the output voltage and output current of the droplet power supply under various settings, we performed simulations based on the experimental setup shown in Supplementary Figure 3. We coupled the Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6. Two ion-selective droplets were placed at 1000°C m -3 It was assumed to act as an ion exchange membrane with a fixed charge opposite in sign to K + and Cl - Initial concentrations of 2M and 0.01M were defined for high-salt and low-salt droplets, respectively. The interface modeling conditions were a combination of cubic current distribution and Nernst-Planck interface, accompanied by Poisson-type charge conservation. The results were calculated using time-varying (transient) analysis in the time range of 0 to 1800 seconds.

[0282] Power supply to electronic components using droplet power. To light the LED (Figure 3h), four types of droplet components were dropped into a spiral mold (Figure 3f), forming 20 power supply units connected to a red LED (Broadcom HLMP-K150) in series. A capacitor (0.47μF, RS PRO) was also connected in series to store the energy released from the droplet power supply, which was then used to light the red LED (Supplementary Figure 7a). A pulse generation circuit based on a 555 timer chip (TLC555IP, RS PRO) was also driven by the droplet power supply (Supplementary Figure 7c).

[0283] Neuron culture and brain tissue harvesting NPCs were induced from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and provided by Dr. S. Cowley at the James Martin Stem Cell Facility in Oxford. Neuronal differentiation of iPSCs and NPC culture were performed according to the published procedures. 28,48 NPCs were maintained as two-dimensional adherent cultures in nerve maintenance medium on Geltrex-coated (Life Technologies, A141133-02) culture plates. The nerve maintenance medium consisted of N-2 medium and B-27 medium (1:1 v / v). The N-2 medium contained DMEM / F12 medium (Life Technologies; 21331020), 1×N-2 (Gibco, 17502048), and 1mM GlutaMax (Gibco, 35050-038). The B-27 medium contained Neurobasal medium (Gibco, 21103-049S), 1×B-27 (Gibco, 17504044), and 1mM GlutaMax (Gibco, 35050-038). NPCs 26 days after neural induction were incubated with Accutase (Life Technologies, A11105-01) at 37°C for 5 minutes and collected by gently pipetting to dissociate into a cell suspension. The cells were then centrifuged (200×g for 5 minutes) and the supernatant was removed. Pre-thawed Matrigel (Corning) was added to the cell pellet and mixed, resulting in a cell density of 2×10⁶. 7 cells mL -1 A bioink was prepared. NPCs labeled with red fluorescent protein (RFP) were derived from RFP-iPSCs. 28,48 The cells were then placed in 2.5 μg mL of nerve maintenance medium for RFP selection. -1 Except for the addition of pueromycin (Thermo Fisher Scientific), the cells were cultured and subcultured in the same manner as unlabeled NPCs. Mouse brain tissue was obtained from Prof. M. Lei of the Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University. Adult C57BL / 6 mice were sacrificed according to Schedule 1 procedure. The brains were surgically removed, and 300 μm brain slices were prepared using a Compresstome vibrating microtome (Precisionary, VF-300-0Z) equipped with an HP35-coated microtome blade (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 3150743). The brain slices were collected in a cooled Earl equilibrium salt solution aerated with carbogen (95% O2 and 5% CO2) and transferred onto 30 mm cell culture inserts (Millicell, PICM0RG50) in a 6-well plate. The brain slices were incubated at 37°C under 5% CO2 in 75% BrainPhys medium (Stemcell Technologies, 05792) with SM1 supplement, 25% horse serum (GIBCO, 16050130), and 100 U penicillin-streptomycin (GIBCO, 15140122) for no more than 3 days.

[0284] Preparation of droplets containing cells or tissues The procedure involved two main steps. First, a 3D cell microtissue was generated using a self-made microfluidic printing system. 49 Next, the microtissue was cultured and, immediately before use, coated with a low-salt agarose hydrogel prepared from neuron culture medium to form a continuous hydrogel structure with the connected droplet power supply (Figure 4a). In the first step of constructing the neural microtissue, the harvested nerve cells (NPCs) are pelletized into 2 × 10⁻¹⁶ cells. 7 cells mL -1The cells were resuspended in Matrigel (Corning) at 8°C and filled into a syringe. Next, the cell-containing Matrigel and oil (tetradecane, Sigma-Aldrich) were delivered into a three-way polydimethylsiloxane (Sigma-Aldrich) connector using a programmable neMESYS syringe pump (Cetoni, Korbussen). At an optimized flow rate, spherical Matrigel droplets containing cells were formed in a polytetrafluoroethylene tube (Cole-Parmer), separated by the carrier oil. The droplet size was determined by the tube's inner diameter (e.g., 570 μm). The tube containing the cell-containing microtissue and oil was then placed in a 37°C culture chamber for 2 hours to gel the Matrigel, resulting in the formation of a 3D cell-containing microtissue. Finally, the microtissue was discharged through the outlet tube, transferred to culture medium, and cultured until ready for use. The day on which the nerve microtissue was formed was designated as day 0. The 3D neural microtissue was treated with penicillin and streptomycin (Gibco, 15140-122) 50U mL. -1 The cells were cultured in nerve maintenance medium supplemented with [specific substance]. The cell medium was changed every 3 days. 28 . In the second step, embedding nerve tissue within agarose droplets, cultured nerve microtissue was transferred into a mold filled with silicone oil using a truncated pipette tip (200 μL). An IR heater was used to maintain the ambient temperature at approximately 37°C. After carefully removing residual culture medium, a low-salt hydrogel solution (0.5 μL) was added using a 7000 series Hamilton syringe to coat each nerve microtissue. The low-salt hydrogel contained 2% agarose and approximately 1 mM Ca derived from neuron culture medium. 2+ , about 4mM K + , and approximately 140 mM Na +The solution contained [substance name]. Due to the surrounding oil, the hydrogel solution rapidly coated the nerve microtissue. The mold was then held at 20°C for 10 minutes to gel the hydrogel coating. This final gel coating homogenized the size variations between different nerve structures, facilitated handling, limited ion current channels, and dissipated any compressive forces that could be applied to the embedded microtissue. The coated droplets were then returned to the culture medium for dye staining and used for neuronal modification. Ex vivo mouse brain slices were also processed according to the same second step to obtain tissue-containing droplets.

[0285] Neuronal viability / death staining, viability measurement, and immunohistochemistry To image the viability / death distribution of neurons after power supply regulation, neuron-containing droplets were incubated with 2.5 μM Calcein-AM (C1430, Thermo Fisher Scientific) and 5.0 μM PI (Sigma Aldrich) at 37°C for 60 minutes, and then imaged using an epifluorescence microscope (Leica DMi8). The number of viable cells and viability were measured using the PrestoBlue assay (Thermo Fisher Scientific) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fluorescence was quantified using a microplate reader (CLARIOstar Plus), thereby quantifying the number of viable cells. For immunohistochemistry, nerve microtissues were first fixed in 4% v / v paraformaldehyde (Sigma Aldrich) at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then quenched in 50 mM glycine (Sigma Aldrich). The samples were incubated at room temperature for 1 hour with a blocking solution of 5% donkey serum in Triton phosphate-buffered saline (TPBS) containing 0.1% v / v Triton X-100 (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Primary antibodies TUJ1 (Synaptic Systems) and Caspase 3 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) were added to the blocking solution, and the samples were incubated overnight at 4°C. The following day, the samples were washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (10 minutes each), and then incubated with secondary antibodies at room temperature for 2 hours. Subsequently, the samples were washed three more times in PBS (10 minutes each), and then 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (5 μg mL) in TPBS. -1 The samples were incubated with () for 15 minutes and then washed again. Z-stack images of all immunostained nerve microtissues were acquired using a fluorescence confocal microscope (Leica SP5).

[0286] Neuron regulation using droplet devices A droplet device consisting of three high-salt droplets and two ion-selective droplets was dropped into a circular container integrated on an imaging dish (μ-Dish, Ibidi). The droplets formed a continuous hydrogel structure after oil transfer via lipid-free oil. The droplet device was then connected to three low-salt hydrogel droplets containing nerve microtissue or brain tissue to complete a ring structure (Supplementary Figure 11). Subsequently, the droplet device was able to generate ionic currents for regulating neurons or tissue within a closed loop. One regulation-recovery cycle involved combining the droplet containing neurons or brain tissue with the droplet device for 10 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of return to the culture medium. Neurons recovered to their initial active state after each cycle (Extended Data Figure 5). To verify network regulation by the droplet device, neuron-containing droplets were treated with GABA (Sigma-Aldrich) at a concentration of 30 μM, which had previously been determined to be inhibitory but non-toxic. 40 .

[0287] Neuron imaging For calcium imaging, follow the manufacturer's instructions and use Fluo-4 Direct. TM Calcium activity was measured using a calcium assay kit (Invitrogen, F10471). Briefly, droplets containing neurons or brain tissue were transferred to a 48-well plate and incubated with nerve maintenance medium and Fluo-4 calcium imaging reagent (1:1 v / v) at 37°C for 1 hour. Time-lapse (XYZTime) fluorescence images were acquired at Ex / Em 488 / 525nm using a fluorescence confocal microscope (Leica SP5) at 1.28 seconds / frame under the optical settings recommended by Invitrogen. Z-stack images were acquired in 5 μm steps per image, covering the area from the bottom of the nerve microtissue up to approximately 50 μm above it. Maximum Z projection was then performed to generate the final time-lapse image. Bright-field images were recorded using a stereomicroscope (Leica EZ4 W) and a wide-field optical microscope (Leica DMi8). Images were processed using Leica Application Suite X and Fiji (ImageJ). For membrane potential imaging, follow the manufacturer's instructions, FluoVolt TM Neuron membrane potential was measured using a membrane potential kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Time-lapse fluorescence images were acquired using a fluorescence confocal microscope (Leica SP5) at 0.37 seconds / frame under the manufacturer's recommended optical settings. Images were processed using Leica Application Suite X and Fiji (ImageJ).

[0288] Calculation of imaging results Neuron fluorescence intensity was acquired using Fiji's freehand tool and profile plotting function. Ca on the selected line plot 2+ and Cl - To obtain the relative ion concentration distribution (Figure 4c), the relative concentration (C) is defined as follows.

[0289]

number

[0290] Fluo(t) is the fluorescence intensity at time t (Supplementary Figure 9). F0 is the initial fluorescence intensity before the formation of the continuous hydrogel network. Because the fluorescence response is different, F final Ca 2+ For this, it is the maximum fluorescence intensity (fluorescence generation response) across all three droplets after 20 minutes, and Cl - This refers to the minimum fluorescence intensity (quenching response). Ca across the neural network 2+ To calculate the wave velocity (Figures 4d and e), it was first necessary to calculate the fluorescence centers of the neuronal network. We chose the weighted average method and used it to represent the positions of the fluorescence centers. This is defined as follows: Weighted average distance = (Σ(strength x distance)) / (Σstrength) (2) Σ intensity is the sum of each fluorescence value on the selected line plot. Σ(intensity × distance) is the sum of the values ​​obtained by multiplying each fluorescence value by the distance from the origin (cell or brain tissue boundary) of the selected line plot. If the position of the fluorescence center is known, the relative displacement of the fluorescence (Figure 4f) can be calculated, which is defined as follows. Relative displacement = Δ(weighted average distance) / total length (3) Δ (weighted average distance) is the change in weighted average distance before and after adjustment. Total length is the length of the selected line plot.

[0291] statistics Statistical analysis was performed using Origin, and p-values ​​were determined by unpaired one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Each experiment used at least three independent droplet power sources.

[0292] Additional references 48. Haenseler, W. et al. A highly efficient human pluripotent stem cell microglia model displays a neuronal-co-culture-specific expression profile and inflammatory response. Stem Cell Rep. 8, 1727-1742 (2017). 49. Ma, S., Mukherjee, N., Mikhailova, E. & Bayley, H. Gel microrods for 3D tissue printing. Adv. Biosyst. 1, 1700075 (2017).

[0293] Supplementary Note 1. Theoretical background of droplet power supply In short, the mechanism of an ionic droplet power source can be explained by four parts (schematic diagram S1).

[0294] 1.1 Part 1 The DC droplet power supply is based on droplets containing different salt concentrations, connected by charge-selective droplets, which act as ion filters. Ions flow from high concentration to low concentration through the charge-selective droplets, a process that combines diffusion and Donnan exclusion, releasing the chemical energy stored in the ion concentration gradient (schematic diagram S1a), and the Nernst-Planck equation and the Goldmann-Hodgkin-Katz current equation. 1,2 As embodied in this, it generates an electromotive force across the charge-selective droplet. In short, the flux of ions s in an electric field is J s (mol m -2 s -1 It is given by the following:

[0295]

number

[0296] Here, D S (m 2 s -1 ) is the diffusion coefficient of s in that medium, C S (mol m -3 ) is the molar concentration of s, and F(C mol -1 ) is the Faraday constant, Z S is the charge of s, and R(J mol) -1 K -1 ) is the gas constant, T(K) is the temperature, and φ(V) is the electric potential. The ion flux expressed in the form of an electric current is the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz current equation. 1,2 Using the assumptions based on , the following is given:

[0297]

number

[0298] I S (A m -2 ) is the current density carried across a charge-selective droplet by ions s, and P s (ms -1) is the transmittance of s through the droplet, V(V) is the voltage generated across the droplet, and C Sin and C Sout (mol m -3 ) are the concentrations of s inside and outside the droplet, respectively. For example, if the formula is formulated to consider only KCl in high-salt and low-salt droplets, the total ion current density I(A m) -2 ) is I K and I Cl It is the sum of.

[0299]

number

[0300] 1.2 Part 2 Equations S1 to S3 represent the intrinsic electromotive force (V) of the droplet power supply. Source This formulas the relationship between the total voltage (V) across the cation-selective and anion-selective droplets of the power source and the ideal ion flux of the droplet power source in electrochemical theory. However, in actual use and measurement, the ion flux within the low-salt droplet also needs to be considered (schematic diagram S1a). Within the low-salt droplet, the initially present salt ions and incoming opposite-charged ions move to neutralize the incoming ions and maintain electrical neutrality, thereby completing the ion pathway. For example, Cl flows in from the high-salt droplet on the right. - and the Cl initially present in the low-salt droplets - This is K flowing in from the high-salt droplet on the left. + The ions move to neutralize each other. As a result, the ion flux from the left and right sides of the power supply unit becomes equal in order to maintain electrical neutrality. The voltage division is determined by the internal resistance (R) of the droplet power supply. Source It can be modeled from the perspective of (schematic diagram S1b). The resistance of each droplet strongly depends on the ionic strength inside it. 3,4 Therefore, low-salt droplets bear the main resistance in the system (R Source ≒R Low-salinity ) 2,5 In an open circuit, the power supply is connected to a very large external resistance (R) in the meter. Meter →∞ ≫ R SourceBecause it is connected to the ), the droplet power supply is forced into a region of high output voltage and extremely low current (I=0). At that time, equation S3 is simplified as follows:

[0301]

number

[0302] Short circuit (R Meter →0 ≪ R Source ,V Meter For =0), equation S3 is simplified as follows:

[0303]

number

[0304] Therefore, the low-salt droplet will have a concentration gradient with respect to the high-salt droplet, resulting in a V OC This affects (extended data figure 4a), and also, due to its resistance, I SC This limits (extended data Figures 4b and c). When the salt concentration in the low-salt droplet is reduced, V OC Although it increases, the increase in resistance causes I SC This decreases. Due to this trade-off, unless otherwise noted, we used 0.01 M salt in low-salt droplets.

[0305] 1.3 Part 3 The ion flux of the droplet power source can be converted into electron flow in the external circuit by using a chemically active electrode (schematic diagram S1a). We used Ag / AgCl wire electrodes to contact the first and final high-salt droplets. On the anode side (high-salt droplet connected to the cation-selective droplet), the anion is Ag(solid) + Cl - → AgCl(solid)+e - This is converted into electrons. On the cathode side (high salt droplet connected to anion-selective droplet), electrons are converted to AgCl (solid) + e - → Ag (solid) + Cl - This converts it to an anion. Therefore, the droplet power supply as a whole obeys the law of electrical neutrality.

[0306] 1.4 Part 4 When neurons are embedded in low-salt droplets, influxing ions move within the extracellular space of the neurons, regulating neuronal activity. This regulation is driven by the ion currents generated by the droplet device. 6-9 This is the result. Therefore, this regulation is dynamic and stops when the droplet device reaches the final salt concentration equilibrium.

[0307] Supplementary note 2. Research background Inspired by electric eels, Professor Michael Mayer's group has developed a soft hydrogel power source as an alternative to conventional solid-state batteries. 2,5 Their system generated output electricity by utilizing ion gradients between polyacrylamide hydrogels bounded by cation-selective and anion-selective hydrogel membranes. However, their soft power supplies focused on large-area gel fabrication to increase output voltage and power, and their potential material toxicity and assembly methods were not designed for microscale to mesoscale biological applications. Firstly, they used acrylamide to construct a gel scaffold for power to form polyacrylamide by photoinitiated radical crosslinking. However, if the acrylamide monomer is not completely reacted or washed away, it has neurotoxic effects. 10,11 Furthermore, their cationic and anionic selective materials (3-sulfopropyl acrylate (potassium salt), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, and (3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride) also have potential biocompatibility issues if they are not completely crosslinked with the gel scaffold. In addition, Mayer et al. used expandable laminated or folded shapes, such as the Miura fold, to avoid power dissipation before contact while mechanically contacting multiple power units in series. However, this method is only suitable for large-area assemblies and has challenges in terms of microscale assembly methods that avoid self-discharge before use. Notably, 3-droplet and 6-droplet power supplies based on concentration cells have already been developed. 12 These networks function by incorporating designed anion-selective Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin nanopores within a lipid bilayer separating two droplets containing different NaCl concentrations, thereby converting ion gradient energy into output electricity. However, at present, such droplet power sources are still in their early stages and face many fundamental challenges that limit their applicability for powering useful activities. Firstly, by using protein nanopores as the ion-selective material, the output current is severely limited to approximately 60 pA, which is insufficient to drive most devices. Furthermore, because the power source relied on a limited salt concentration gradient (at most 10 times) to prevent droplet accretion, it operated for less than an hour before the salt concentration equilibrium and the output significantly decreased due to ion and water transport across the bilayer, and osmotic transport of the latter, resulting in low open-circuit voltages. In addition, challenges such as rechargeability, large-scale fabrication, remote triggering (stimulus responsiveness), and energy generation in biological environments have not yet been considered in this context. In short, while previous research has presented exciting examples of soft power sources, our study overcomes those limitations and demonstrates a unique biological application: the regulation of neuronal activity.

[0308] Supplementary Note 3. Additional output optimization The above discussion and previous research 1,2 Based on this, the power generation performance of a droplet power source depends on the following factors: the concentration gradient between high-salt and low-salt droplets, the volume of each droplet, the ion permeability of the two charge-selective droplets, and the external resistance. Some of these factors are analyzed in the main text, while others are discussed in this supplementary note.

[0309] 3.1 Volume and internal resistance of droplets The volume of the droplet can range from femtoliters to microliters, which affects the output performance (Figures 2a and b). For example, the internal resistance of the droplet power supply depends on the droplet volume. The low-salt compartment, containing only 0.01 M salt, contributes to the majority of the system's electrical resistance (R, see also Part 2 of 1.2), which is directly proportional to the length (l) of the ion conduction path and the average cross-sectional area (S) of the droplet. average It is inversely proportional to (Equation S6). ρ is the resistivity of the droplet. l and S average When we relate this to the diameter (D) of the spherical droplet, we obtain the following:

[0310]

number

[0311] Therefore, as the volume, and consequently the diameter, decreases, the internal resistance of the droplet power supply increases, and the output performance deteriorates.

[0312] 3.2 Ion Permeability of Two Charge-Selective Droplets The Donan effect and the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation 1,2,13 According to the study, as the ratio of the permeability of selected ions to the permeability of non-selected ions across a charge-selective membrane increases, the voltage across the membrane increases. Therefore, it is important to select a charge-selective material that has high selective permeability to counterions. In our study, we used poly(4-styrene sulfonate sodium) (PSS) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) as cation-selective and anion-selective materials, respectively. Notably, PSS and PAH exhibit biocompatibility and high selective permeability (>10). 3 ) 14,15 For this reason, it has been commonly used as an ion exchange polymer for water treatment. In addition, both PSS and PAH are water-soluble, and their good hydrophilicity and long-chain entanglement 15 Therefore, it can be mixed with agarose hydrogel. Accordingly, we used these charge-selective materials to obtain high power performance for our droplet power supply.

[0313] 3.3 External Resistors The final influencing factor is external resistance. The importance of impedance matching is well known for conventional galvanic cells, and internal resistance (R internal ) and external resistor (R load When ) is equal to the maximum output power (P max ) indicates 1 (Equation S7). Previous studies have shown that low-salt gels contribute to the majority of the total internal resistance of the power supply unit. 2,5 In this specification, we constructed a resistance-voltage-power curve (extended data figure 4c) by monitoring the voltage across the load while connecting a known load resistance in series with the power supply, and obtained the maximum output power. By repeating this measurement with various droplet sizes, we obtained the power density (ρ) of power supply units with various droplet volumes. density ) was obtained (Figure 2b). The total volume of the droplet power supply unit is five times the volume of a single droplet. Reducing the droplet size slightly increases the internal resistance, which may result in a decrease in the output voltage / current (Equation S6). However, the increase in energy density is more significant (Equation S8). For example, by reducing the size to less than 100 nanoliters (1.87 nL), the energy density of our droplet power supply increased by approximately 100 times to 1.3 kW m². -3 That's what happened.

[0314]

number

[0315]

number

[0316] D is the diameter of the droplet.

[0317] Supplementary Note 4. Mechanism of neuronal imaging Ca 2+ It functions as an intracellular second messenger that controls key functions necessary for many neuronal processes, including firing, synaptic plasticity, and gene transcription. 16,17 Therefore, Ca in neurons2+ Imaging of these is particularly important and has generally been achieved using fluorescent dyes. 18,19 Fluorescence-generating Ca 2+ Indicators are agonist-stimulating and antagonist-inhibiting Ca25 agonists that target G protein-coupled receptors, a large and active class of targets involved in neuronal activity. 2+ It is widely used for intracellular measurement of signal transduction. To test neuronal activity in our printed droplets, we used Fluo-4 Direct TM Using Ca 2+ Imaging was performed. Fluo-4 Direct TM The calcium assay kit (Invitrogen, F10471) was us...

Claims

1. A power supply unit including a droplet array, wherein the droplet array is One or more first droplets, and One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, A power supply unit in which each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

2. The droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more first droplets, (b) One or more separator droplets, and (c) One or more second droplets Includes, A potential energy difference exists between the one or more first droplets and the one or more second droplets, The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

3. The droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, or one or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to which the salt is to be diffused Includes, The power supply unit according to claim 2, wherein each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

4. The droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more droplets of the fluid to which the salt is to be diffused, (d) One or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (e) One or more droplets of one or more high-salt fluids Includes, The one or more droplets in (a) above may be the same one or more droplets as the one or more droplets in (e) above, The power supply unit according to claim 3, wherein each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

5. - The droplet row includes a further arbitrarily repeated sub-row of droplets between the one or more droplets in (a) and the one or more droplets in (b), and the sub-row of droplets in this order, (i) One or more droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (ii) One or more droplets of the fluid to which the salt is to be diffused, (iii) One or more droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and (iv) One or more droplets of a high-salt fluid including and / or - The power supply unit includes a plurality of droplet rows, and the plurality of droplet rows are arranged in parallel such that droplets of the same type within each droplet row are adjacent to each other. The power supply unit according to claim 4.

6. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the one or more high-salt fluids, one or more cation-selective fluids, one or more salt-diffusible fluids, and one or more anion-selective fluids are each solutions or suspensions (preferably solutions) in a droplet medium, wherein preferably the droplet medium is water.

7. The power supply unit according to claim 6, wherein the power supply unit is suspended in a suspension medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, and preferably the suspension medium is oil.

8. The one or more high-salt fluids, one or more cation-selective fluids, one or more low-salt fluids, and one or more anion-selective fluids each contain one or more gelling agents (preferably one gelling agent, more preferably the same gelling agent), where preferably each gelling agent is a polymer, polymerizable monomer, or oligomer, where more preferably: - The polymer is selected from polysaccharides (preferably agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (preferably DNA and RNA), polyamides (preferably collagen, gelatin and silk fibroin), polyphenols (preferably ligin), polyesters (preferably polycaprolactone and polylactic acid), polyethers (preferably polyethylene glycol), vinyl polymers (preferably polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate), acrylate polymers (preferably polyacrylic acid), and acrylamide polymers (preferably polyacrylamide), where the polymer is most preferably a polysaccharide or polyamide, and particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin; and - The polymerizable monomer or oligomer is a compound having one or more polymerizable groups, where the compound is preferably a compound having one or more groups selected from a carboxylic acid group, an aldehyde group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an epoxy group, an alkenyl group, and an alkynyl group, more preferably a compound having an alkenyl group conjugated to one or more electron-withdrawing groups (preferably a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, or an amide group), and most preferably an acrylamide. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 7.

9. - Each of the one or more high-salt fluids contains one or more salts, and the total concentration of each of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is independently 10 M to 0.2 M, preferably 5 M to 0.5 M, more preferably 4 M to 1 M, even more preferably 2.5 to 1.5 M, and / or - Each of the one or more salt diffusion target fluids either contains no salt or contains one or more salts, where preferably each of the one or more salt diffusion target fluids contains one or more salts, and more preferably: - The total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more salt-diffusing fluids is independently 0.05 M to 0.001 M, preferably 0.03 M to 0.002 M, more preferably 0.02 M to 0.005 M, even more preferably 0.015 to 0.005 M, and / or - The total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is independently 2000 to 1.1 times, preferably 1000 to 10 times, preferably 800 to 50 times, more preferably 500 to 100 times, and even more preferably 300 to 150 times higher than the total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the fluids targeted for salt diffusion. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 8.

10. The one or more salts mentioned above, each independently, are in formula A p+ n X q- m This is a salt represented by: A is selected from metal cations and organic cations; X is selected from halogen anions, inorganic anions and organic anions; and The power supply unit according to claim 9, wherein p, q, n, and m are each integers from 1 to 4, where p × n = q × m; and further preferably, the one or more salts are each independently selected from lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, pyronine Y chloride, or GABA chloride, most preferably calcium chloride.

11. - The cation-selective fluid comprises one or more polymers having anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain, wherein preferably the polymer having anionic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain is poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) and / or - The power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein the anion-selective fluid comprises one or more polymers having cationic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain, wherein preferably the polymer having cationic groups bonded to or forming part of the polymer main chain is poly(allylamine hydrochloride).

12. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the amphiphilic membrane comprises one or more types of amphiphilic molecules, and the amphiphilic molecules are selected from one or more of lipids, surfactants, and block copolymer-type amphiphilic substances, preferably lipids, and most preferably phospholipids.

13. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the volume of each droplet is 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL.

14. The droplet array is arranged in this order or the reverse order. (a) One or more droplets of a discharge cathode fluid containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material Including, here, - The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material; and The power supply unit according to claim 2, wherein each droplet is separated from one or more adjacent droplets by an amphiphilic membrane.

15. - The droplet row includes a further arbitrarily repeated sub-row of droplets between the one or more droplets in (a) and the one or more droplets in (b), and the sub-row of droplets in this order, (i) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, (ii) One or more droplets of a discharge anode fluid containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, (iii) One or more droplets of one or more separator fluids, (iv) One or more droplets of one or more discharge cathode fluids containing the first ion donor / acceptor material including and / or - The power supply unit includes a plurality of droplet rows, and the plurality of droplet rows are arranged in parallel such that droplets of the same type within each droplet row are adjacent to each other. The power supply unit according to claim 14.

16. The power supply unit according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids are each a solution or suspension in a droplet medium, where preferably the droplet medium is water.

17. The power supply unit according to claim 16, wherein the power supply unit is suspended in a suspension medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, and preferably the suspension medium is oil.

18. The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each contain one or more gelling agents (preferably one gelling agent, more preferably the same gelling agent), where preferably each gelling agent is a polymer, polymerizable monomer, or oligomer, where more preferably: - The polymer is selected from polysaccharides (preferably agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (preferably DNA and RNA), polyamides (preferably collagen, gelatin and silk fibroin), polyphenols (preferably ligin), polyesters (preferably polycaprolactone and polylactic acid), polyethers (preferably polyethylene glycol), vinyl polymers (preferably polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate), acrylate polymers (preferably polyacrylic acid), and acrylamide polymers (preferably polyacrylamide), where the polymer is most preferably a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, most preferably silk fibroin; and - The polymerizable monomer or oligomer is a compound having one or more polymerizable groups, where the compound is preferably a compound having one or more groups selected from a carboxylic acid group, an aldehyde group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an epoxy group, an alkenyl group, and an alkynyl group, more preferably a compound having an alkenyl group conjugated to one or more electron-withdrawing groups (preferably a carboxylic acid group, an ester group, or an amide group), and most preferably an acrylamide. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 17.

19. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the one or more discharge cathode fluids and the one or more discharge anode fluids each comprise one or more electron conductive materials (preferably one electron conductive material, more preferably the same electron conductive material), where more preferably each electron conductive material is a carbon nanomaterial (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanodiamonds, carbon nanohorns, carbon nanofibers, preferably carbon nanotubes), a nanowire (e.g., nickel, platinum, gold, and silver nanowires, preferably silver nanowires), and a conductive polymer (e.g., selected from poly(acetylene), poly(p-phenylenevinylene), poly(pyrrole), poly(aniline), poly(thiophene), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), and poly(p-phenylene sulfide), preferably poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)), and preferably a carbon nanomaterial.

20. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each contain mobile ions, and the mobile ions are the same ions as those donated / received by the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material, wherein preferably the mobile ions exist in the form of a soluble salt of the mobile ions and mobile counterions.

21. - The first ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, and - The power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material.

22. (a) The first ion donor / receptor material is a first Li ion donor / receptor material, and the discharge ion acceptor material is a discharge Li ion acceptor material, (b) The power supply unit according to claim 21, wherein the second ion donor / acceptor material is a second Li ion donor / acceptor material, and the discharge ion donor material is a discharge Li ion donor material.

23. - The one or more discharge Li ion acceptor materials are each independently selected from lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt manganese aluminum oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium manganese nickel oxide, lithium vanadium oxide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium nickel oxide, and lithium cobalt oxide, preferably lithium manganese oxide, lithium manganese nickel oxide, lithium iron phosphate, and lithium cobalt oxide, more preferably lithium manganese oxide, and most preferably LiMn ２ O ４ and / or - the one or more discharge lithium ion donor materials are each independently selected from graphite, hard carbon, silicon, silicon / carbon, tin / cobalt alloy, copper / tin alloy, copper / antimony alloy, manganese / tin alloy, molybdenum sulfide, lithium titanate, and niobate, preferably molybdenum sulfide, lithium titanate, and niobate, more preferably molybdenum sulfide and lithium titanate, even more preferably lithium titanate, and most preferably Li ４ Ti ５ O １２ . The power supply unit according to claim 22.

24. The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each contain mobile Li ions, where preferably the mobile Li ions are LiCl, LiBr, LiPF ６ LiBF ４ LiClO ４ Li ２ SO ４ and LiNO ３ Soluble salts of Li ions and mobile counterions, preferably LiCl, LiBr, Li ２ SO ４ and LiNO ３ The power supply unit according to claim 22 or 23, most preferably existing in the form of LiCl.

25. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein the amphiphilic membrane comprises one or more types of amphiphilic molecules, and the amphiphilic molecules are selected from one or more of lipids, surfactants, and block copolymer-type amphiphilic substances, preferably lipids, and most preferably phospholipids.

26. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein the volume of each droplet is 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL.

27. The power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 26, wherein at least one droplet in the power supply unit of the present invention contains magnetic particles.

28. A method for manufacturing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 27, - A step of providing one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated first droplets and one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated second droplets, and - A step of providing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 27 by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated first droplets and the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated second droplets into series contact. Methods that include...

29. A method according to claim 28 for manufacturing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 4 to 13, The process of providing the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more high-salt fluids, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of one or more cation-selective fluids, (c) One or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of one or more salt-diffusing fluids, and (d) One or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of one or more anion-selective fluids, and - A step of providing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 4 to 13 by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (b) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (c) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (d) above into series contact. Methods that include...

30. The one or more high-salt fluids, one or more cation-selective fluids, one or more fluids targeted for salt diffusion, and one or more anion-selective fluids are each solutions or suspensions (preferably solutions) in a droplet medium, and Each droplet is prepared by dropping a volume of fluid into a suspension medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, where: (i) The suspension medium contains amphiphilic molecules and / or (ii) The droplet medium contains amphiphilic molecules and / or (iii) After the volume of the solution has been dropped into the suspension medium, an amphiphilic molecule is added to the suspension medium. The method according to claim 29.

31. - The one or more high-salt fluids, the one or more cation-selective fluids, the one or more salt-diffusing fluids, and the one or more anion-selective fluids are as defined in any one of claims 6 and 8 to 11, and / or - The suspension medium is as defined in claim 7, and / or - The amphiphilic molecule is as defined in claim 12, and / or - The volume of each droplet is as defined in claim 13. The method according to claim 29 or 30.

32. A method according to claim 28 for manufacturing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 27, The process of providing the following: (a) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more discharge cathode fluids containing a first ion donor / acceptor material, (b) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more separator fluids, and (c) One or more amphiphilic molecular coated droplets of one or more discharge anode fluids containing a second ion donor / acceptor material, and - A step of providing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 27 by bringing the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (a) above, the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (b) above, and the one or more amphiphilic molecule-coated droplets of (c) above into series contact. Methods that include...

33. The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids are each a solution or suspension in a droplet medium, and Each droplet is prepared by dropping a volume of fluid into a suspension medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, where: (i) The suspension medium contains amphiphilic molecules and / or (ii) The droplet medium contains amphiphilic molecules and / or (iii) After the volume of the fluid has been dropped into the suspension medium, amphiphilic molecules are added to the suspension medium. The method according to claim 32.

34. - The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids are as defined in any one of claims 16 and 18 to 24, and / or - The suspension medium is as defined in claim 17, and / or - The amphiphilic molecule is as defined in claim 25, and / or - The volume of each droplet is as defined in claim 26. The method according to claim 32 or 33.

35. A method for activating a power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 27, comprising the step of converting the droplet sequence into a sequence of compartments in which each compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent compartments.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the step of converting the droplet row into the compartment row includes dismantling or permeating the amphiphilic membrane, preferably dismantling the amphiphilic membrane, where more preferably the amphiphilic membrane is dismantled by introducing the power supply unit into a dismantling medium and / or washing the power supply unit with the dismantling medium, the dismantling medium being a medium that is immiscible with the droplet medium, preferably an oil or an organogel.

37. The method according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the power supply unit is the power supply unit according to claim 8 or 18, and the step of converting the droplet row into the compartment row includes gelling the one or more gelling agents, and as a result the droplet row becomes a gel compartment row in which each gel compartment is diffusively continuous with one or more adjacent gel compartments.

38. An active power supply unit that can be obtained by the method described in any one of claims 35 to 37.

39. An active power supply unit including a row of biocompatible gel compartments, wherein the row of biocompatible gel compartments is arranged in this order or the reverse order, (a) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, (b) One or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, (c) One or more biocompatible gel compartments for salt diffusion, (d) One or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments, and (e) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments Includes, The one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments in (a) above may be the same one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments as the one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments in (e) above, and An active power supply unit in which each biocompatible gel compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent biocompatible gel compartments.

40. - The biocompatible gel compartment row includes a further optionally repeated sub-row of biocompatible gel compartments between the one or more biocompatible gel compartments of (a) and the one or more biocompatible gel compartments of (b), and the sub-row of biocompatible gel compartments is in this order. (i) One or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, (ii) One or more biocompatible gel compartments for salt diffusion, (iii) One or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments, and (iv) One or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments including and / or - The active power supply unit includes a plurality of the rows of biocompatible gel compartments, and the plurality of rows of biocompatible gel compartments are arranged in parallel such that identical biocompatible gel compartments within each row of biocompatible gel compartments are adjacent to each other. The activated power supply unit according to claim 39.

41. - The one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, one or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, one or more salt-diffusing biocompatible gel compartments, and one or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments are each compartments of one or more biocompatible gels within a compartmentalizing medium, where preferably the compartmentalizing medium is water and / or - The one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, one or more cation-selective biocompatible gel compartments, one or more salt-diffusing biocompatible gel compartments, and one or more anion-selective biocompatible gel compartments are each compartments of one or more biocompatible gels within the compartmentalized medium, where preferably the one or more biocompatible gels are polysaccharides (preferably agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose, and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (preferably DNA and RNA). The gel is selected from polymers selected from polyamides (preferably collagen, gelatin, and silk fibroin), polyphenols (preferably ligin), polyesters (preferably polycaprolactone and polylactic acid), polyethers (preferably polyethylene glycol), vinyl polymers (preferably polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinyl acetate), acrylate polymers (preferably polyacrylic acid), and acrylamide polymers (preferably polyacrylamide), where the polymer is most preferably a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and / or - Each of the one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments contains one or more salts, and the total concentration of each of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt fluids is independently 10 M to 0.2 M, preferably 5 M to 0.5 M, more preferably 4 M to 1 M, even more preferably 2.5 to 1.5 M, and / or Each of the one or more salt-diffusing biocompatible gel compartments is either salt-free or contains one or more salts, where preferably each of the one or more salt-diffusing biocompatible gel compartments contains one or more salts, and more preferably: - The total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more biocompatible gel compartments subject to salt diffusion is independently 0.05 M to 0.001 M, preferably 0.03 M to 0.002 M, more preferably 0.02 M to 0.005 M, even more preferably 0.015 to 0.005 M, and / or - The total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments is independently 2000 to 1.1 times, preferably 1000 to 10 times, preferably 800 to 50 times, more preferably 500 to 100 times, and even more preferably 300 to 150 times higher than the total concentration of the one or more salts in each of the salt diffusion target fluids, and / or - The one or more high-salt biocompatible gel compartments, and optionally the one or more salt-diffusing biocompatible gel compartments, each contain one or more salts, where each of the one or more salts independently contains formula A p+ n X q- m This is a salt represented by: A is selected from metal cations and organic cations; X is selected from halogen anions, inorganic anions and organic anions; and p, q, n, and m are integers from 1 to 4, where p × n = q × m; and where preferably, one or more of the salts are independently selected from lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, pyronine Y chloride, or GABA chloride, most preferably calcium chloride, and / or - The cation-selective biocompatible gel compartment contains a polymer having anionic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer main chain, wherein preferably the polymer having anionic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer main chain is poly(4-styrenesulfonate sodium), and / or - The cation-selective biocompatible gel compartment contains a polymer having cationic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer main chain, wherein preferably the polymer having cationic groups that are bonded to or form part of the polymer main chain is poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and / or The volume of each biocompatible gel compartment is 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL. The activated power supply unit according to claim 39 or 40.

42. The active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 41, wherein the active power supply unit is contained in a gel, preferably in an organogel.

43. An active power supply unit including a row of biocompatible gel compartments, wherein the row of biocompatible gel compartments is arranged in this order or the reverse order, (a) One or more discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartments containing a first ion donor / receptor material, (b) One or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and (c) One or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments containing a second ion donor / receptor material Including, here, - The first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material each donate / receive the same ion, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, - One of the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion donor material; and An active power supply unit in which each biocompatible gel compartment is diffusely continuous with one or more adjacent biocompatible gel compartments.

44. - The biocompatible gel compartment row includes a further optionally repeated sub-row of biocompatible gel compartments between the one or more biocompatible gel compartments of (a) and the one or more biocompatible gel compartments of (b), and the sub-row of biocompatible gel compartments is (i) One or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, in this order, (ii) One or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments containing a second ion donor / receptor material, (iii) One or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and (iv) One or more discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartments containing the first ion donor / receptor material including and / or - The active power supply unit includes a plurality of the rows of biocompatible gel compartments, and the plurality of rows of biocompatible gel compartments are arranged in parallel such that identical biocompatible gel compartments within each row of biocompatible gel compartments are adjacent to each other. The activated power supply unit according to claim 43.

45. - The one or more discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartments, the one or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and the one or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments are each compartments of one or more biocompatible gels in a compartmentalizing medium, where preferably the compartmentalizing medium is water and / or - The one or more discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartments, the one or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and the one or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments are each compartments of one or more biocompatible gels in the compartment medium, where preferably the one or more biocompatible gels are polysaccharides (preferably agar, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, isbugol, carrageenan, tragacanth, pectin, starch, sodium alginate, alginate gum, chitosan, hydroxyethylcellulose, and agarose, most preferably agarose), polynucleic acids (preferably DNA and RNA), polyamides (preferably The gel is selected from a polymer selected from collagen, gelatin and silk fibroin), polyphenols (preferably ligin), polyesters (preferably polycaprolactone and polylactic acid), polyethers (preferably polyethylene glycol), vinyl polymers (preferably polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate), acrylate polymers (preferably polyacrylic acid), and acrylamide polymers (preferably polyacrylamide), where the polymer is most preferably a polysaccharide or polyamide, particularly preferably agarose or silk fibroin, and / or - The discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartment, one or more separator biocompatible gel compartments, and one or more discharge anode biocompatible gel compartments each contain mobile ions, wherein the mobile ions are the same ions as those donated / received by the first ion donor / receptor material and the second ion donor / receptor material, and here preferably, the mobile ions exist in the form of a soluble salt of the mobile ions and mobile counterions, and / or - The discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartment and the discharge anode biocompatible gel compartment each contain one or more electron conductive materials (preferably one electron conductive material, more preferably the same electron conductive material), where more preferably each electron conductive material is a carbon nanomaterial (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanodiamonds, carbon nanohorns, carbon nanofibers, preferably carbon nanotubes), a nanowire (e.g., nickel, platinum, gold, and silver nanowires, preferably silver nanowires), and a conductive polymer (e.g., selected from poly(acetylene), poly(p-phenylene vinylene), poly(pyrrole), poly(aniline), poly(thiophene), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), and poly(p-phenylene sulfide), preferably poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)), preferably a carbon nanomaterial, and / or In the discharge cathode biocompatible gel compartment and the discharge anode biocompatible gel compartment: ○The first ion donor / receptor material is a discharge ion acceptor material, and ○The second ion donor / acceptor material is a discharge ion donor material, where preferably: (a) The first ion donor / receptor material is a first Li ion donor / receptor material, and the discharge ion acceptor material is a discharge Li ion acceptor material, (b) The second ion donor / acceptor material is a second Li ion donor / acceptor material, and the discharge ion donor material is a discharge Li ion donor material, and more preferably - The one or more discharge Li ion acceptor materials are each independently selected from lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt manganese aluminum oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium manganese nickel oxide, lithium vanadium oxide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium nickel oxide, and lithium cobalt oxide, preferably lithium manganese oxide, lithium manganese nickel oxide, lithium iron phosphate, and lithium cobalt oxide, more preferably lithium manganese oxide, and most preferably LiMn ２ O ４ and / or - The one or more discharge Li ion donor materials are each independently selected from graphite, hard carbon, silicon, silicon / carbon, tin / cobalt alloy, copper / tin alloy, copper / antimony alloy, manganese / tin alloy, molybdenum sulfide, lithium titanate, and niobate, preferably molybdenum sulfide, lithium titanate, and niobate, more preferably molybdenum sulfide and lithium titanate, even more preferably lithium titanate, and most preferably Li ４ Ti ５ O １２ and / or (c) The one or more discharge cathode fluids, one or more separator fluids, and one or more discharge anode fluids each contain mobile Li ions, where preferably the mobile Li ions are LiCl, LiBr, LiPF ６ LiBF ４ LiClO ４ Li ２ SO ４ and LiNO ３ Soluble salts of Li ions and mobile counterions, preferably LiCl, LiBr, Li ２ SO ４ and LiNO ３ , most preferably in the form of LiCl, and / or The volume of each biocompatible gel compartment is 10 pL to 10 μL, preferably 50 pL to 1 μL, more preferably 100 pL to 500 nL, more preferably 500 pL to 100 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 50 nL, even more preferably 1 nL to 10 nL, and most preferably 1 nL to 2 nL. The activated power supply unit according to claim 43 or 44.

46. The active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 and 43 to 45, wherein the active power supply unit is surrounded by an amphiphilic molecule, where the amphiphilic molecule is preferably as defined in claim 25.

47. (a) A power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 27, or an active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 46, and (b) One or more electronic components A device that includes this.

48. A method for generating electric current, (i) Providing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 27, connecting two droplets in the droplet row by an electronically conductive means, and activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 37, or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 46, and connecting two compartments in the compartment row by an electronically conductive means. A method that includes any of the following steps.

49. A method for regulating the activity of one or more cells or tissues, (i) A step of providing a power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 27 and activating the power supply unit by a method for activating the power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 37, or (ii) A step of providing an active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 46. Includes one of the following steps: Here, one or more cells or tissues are contained within the power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 27 or the active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 46, or are in the presence of the power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 27 or the active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 46; and here, preferably, - If the power supply unit is a power supply unit according to any one of claims 3 to 13, or if the active power supply unit is an active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 to 42, then the one or more cells are neurons, and / or the one or more tissues are brain tissue, - A method wherein, if the power supply unit is a power supply unit according to any one of claims 14 to 27, or if the active power supply unit is an active power supply unit according to any one of claims 38 and 43 to 46, the one or more cells are cardiomyocytes and / or the one or more tissues are cardiac tissue.

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