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Updated: Jul 22, 2025

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Published on: August 27, 2021
A Mitochondrion-Inspired Magnesium-Oxygen Biobattery with High Energy Density In Vivo
1National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Chemistry, Biomedicine Innovation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Abstract:
Implantable batteries are urgently needed as a power source to meet the demands of the next generation of biomedical electronic devices. However, existing implantable batteries suffer from unsatisfactory energy density, hindering the miniaturization of these devices. Here, a mitochondrion-inspired magnesium-oxygen biobattery that achieves both high energy density and biocompatibility in vivo is reported. The resulting biobattery exhibits a recorded energy density of 2517 Wh L-1 /1491 Wh kg-1 based on the total volume/mass of the device in vivo, which is ≈2.5 times higher than the current state-of-the-art, and can adapt to different environments for stable discharges. The volume of the magnesium-oxygen biobattery can be as thin as 0.015 mm3 and can be scaled up to 400 times larger without reducing the energy density. Additionally, it shows a stable biobattery/tissue interface, significantly reducing foreign body reactions. This work presents an effective strategy for the development of high-performance implantable batteries.
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