A Probiotic-Powered Transient Battery with Ph-Responsive Biodegradation

Transient electronics have garnered considerable attention for ingestible biomedical applications due to their ability to safely degrade after a specific period. However, the absence of transient power solutions has significantly hindered the development of such devices. In this study, we introduce a pH-triggered biodegradable battery based on a microbial fuel cell that utilizes safe, non-toxic probiotics as biocatalysts. The biobattery is constructed on dissolvable paper and encapsulated with a low pH-sensitive membrane, ensuring it operates exclusively in the stomach. By employing biodegradable materials-polypyrrole and ZnO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> as anodes, and Prussian blue and MnO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> as cathodes-we enhance biocompatibility and biosafety upon degradation.