Plant-Based Rechargeable Battery With Decellularized Scaffold
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plant-based batteries are not rechargeable and require noble materials mining, making them unsustainable and unsuitable for biomedical applications, while paper electronics lack biocompatibility and efficient fabrication methods.
Innovation Solution
Develop a plant-based rechargeable battery using decellularized plant scaffolds, impregnated with conductive hydrogels and metallic vesicles, and coated with plant exosomes to create a Ni-Cd battery structure, with components derived from hyperaccumulator plants and processed using supercritical fluid CO2 to ensure sustainability and biocompatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If plant-based batteries are made flexible using paper substrates, then flexibility is improved, but biocompatibility deteriorates due to lack of biodegradability and presence of non-biocompatible materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters from conventional paper substrates to decellularized plant tissue substrates, which are naturally biodegradable and biocompatible. This parameter change maintains flexibility while eliminating the harmful effects of non-biocompatible materials, allowing the battery to be safely implanted in the human body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure using decellularized plant tissue as the substrate, which combines the flexibility of organic materials with the biocompatibility of natural tissues. This composite approach integrates multiple functional layers (electrodes, electrolyte, current collectors) within a biocompatible plant-based framework.
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional battery materials are used, then energy density is improved, but environmental sustainability deteriorates due to noble materials mining and solvent-based processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hyperaccumulator plants that naturally extract and concentrate metal ions from the environment through their root systems and transport them to leaves. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for energy-intensive mining and chemical extraction processes, providing a sustainable source of battery materials while reducing environmental impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes supercritical CO2 fluid phase transitions for decellularization processing. The CO2 is brought to supercritical conditions, used to remove cellular components, then returned to atmospheric conditions for easy separation and recycling, eliminating the need for harmful organic solvents and reducing environmental impact.
3Loss of substance
If plant-based materials are used for battery components, then environmental sustainability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to natural material variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates specific functional components from plant materials, such as decellularized tissue scaffolds, metal-containing vesicles from hyperaccumulators, and conductive hydrogels. This extraction process concentrates the desired properties while removing variable natural components, improving material consistency for manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing conditions and extraction methods to different plant components to optimize their specific properties. For example, hyperaccumulator plants are processed to extract metal-containing vesicles, while other plants are decellularized to create scaffold structures, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If existing plant-based battery designs are used, then biocompatibility is improved, but rechargeability deteriorates as they cannot be recharged and are limited to direct drive applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a multi-functional plant-based battery system that combines biocompatibility with rechargeability by integrating biodegradable components with reversible electrochemical reactions. The battery can function both as an implantable medical device and as a rechargeable power source, eliminating the limitation of direct-drive-only applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The battery provides a sustainable, flexible, and biocompatible energy source suitable for wearable or implantable devices, supporting life support systems in remote environments and deep space missions.
Implementation Method 1
metals to be used in the plant-based devices can be extracted from the environment, preferably soils or water, by hyperaccumulator plants through phyto-assisted conversion and reactions
Implementation Method 2
Plant scaffolds are mostly composed of cellulose which can be prepared, for example, by green decellularization processing using supercritical fluid CO2 without using any chemical solvent
Implementation Method 3
Cellulose fibers and pores of the scaffold can also be impregnated by natural hydrogel polymers (e.g. Aloe Vera) while metal nanoparticles can be produced by the plant hyperaccumulator extracellular vesicles, or exosomes
Implementation Method 4
an electrical device (e.g., a battery) may be produced using a decellularized leaf scaffold filled with plant conductive hydrogels (or PEDOT collagen matrices) and coated with Cd plant exosomes on one side, the other side being coated with Ni plant exosomes
Implementation Method 5
creating an assembly of a Ni—Cd battery, for example
Data Source
AI summary
A device may include a decellularized biological scaffold, a first electrode, and a second electrode, wherein the decellularized biological scaffold is in electrical and/or chemical communication with the first and second electrodes. In one example, the device is a battery and the device may include an electrolyte layer supported on the decellularized biological scaffold; an anode layer disposed on a first side of the electrolyte layer; and a cathode layer disposed on second side of the electrolyte layer, opposite the anode layer. The electrolyte layer may include a plant-based conductive hydrogel and/or a PEDOT collagen matrix. The anode and/or the cathode layer may comprise metallic vesicles secreted by a plant.