Polish Researchers Create Air-Breathing Biobattery that ‘Replaces the Potato with a Human Being’

From ExtremeTech:

Researchers at the Institute of Physical Chemistry in Poland have created an air-breathing biobattery that could one day provide long-lasting and safe power to pacemakers and other implants. In the words of the lead researcher, Dr Jönsson-Niedziółka, who has a suitably Frankensteinian name, "One of the most popular experiments in electrochemistry is to make a battery by sticking appropriately selected electrodes into a potato. We are doing something similar, the difference is that [...] we'd rather replace the potato with… a human being."

The Polish biobattery is based on the same, well-known zinc-air chemistry that is used by hearing aid batteries. In a normal zinc-air battery, zinc (the anode) is oxidized by the oxygen in air (it's an air-breathable battery), releasing electrons that travel to the cathode, producing electricity. As with most batteries, zinc-air batteries usually have a fairly dull carbon/graphite cathode. This new battery, however, uses a special cathode, which the researchers have been working on for many years.

Read the whole article