Date: Jan 15, 2008 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Stories (
click here to go to the source)
The need for a renewable micro-power source has long been recognized, and is increasingly relevant in today's mobile, energy hungry world. Computational Fluid Dynamics Research Corporation (CFDRC) has developed a Biobattery system to harvest energy from biological fuels (such as sugars) directly into electrical energy.
The Biobattery system contains high efficiency electrodes that use a unique combination of biological catalysts, carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles for effective extraction of electrical energy. The system offers several advantages such as operation at ambient temperature, neutral pH, low manufacturing cost, superior selectivity, and renewability. The availability of fuel (glucose) in the Army supply chain also makes the use of the Biobattery logistically favorable.
The primary outcome of this project will be a working Biobattery system that can power applications for both military and civilian needs.
Military applications include power sources for the Warfighter Physiological Status Monitor device, as well as wireless sensor networks used for monitoring physical or environmental conditions, sniper tracking, battlefield surveillance, healthcare monitoring, and motion detection. An autonomous power source in inaccessible areas (e.g. in hostile territory) would eliminate the need for battery changes. Civilian applications in the microelectronics industry include Biobattery-based trickle-charging of Lithium-ion batteries used in cell phones and PDAs.
Conservative estimates of the power market (based on microelectronics needs alone) exceed several hundred million dollars. Applications in the life science area are also foreseen with implantable monitors and therapeutic/drug delivery systems.
Phase III Impacts:
CFDRC has received nearly $2M in additional funding from the U.S. Army to adapt the Biobattery system for specific Army applications. This is supplemented by nearly $1M in funding for development of spin-off technologies from the Biobattery effort.
CFDRC's Biobattery prototype has shown a 25-fold increase in power density during the course of Phase II, sufficient to power an electronic LED Circuit.
