Biodegradable battery invented by scientists in Switzerland
Fungi, which is the building block of mushrooms, is the core material used
The fungi-powered battery generates enough electricity to power sensors
Fungi have fascinated scientists for decades – centuries, probably. There are roughly 200,000 known species across the planet, they are more closely related to animals than plants, the largest organism in the world is a fungus, and some can glow in the dark. If you’ve watched or played The Last of Us, you’ll know the parasitic Cordyceps fungus infects its host by colonizing and consuming its body (admittedly, in the real world, it takes over insects and won’t be invading humans any time soon).
Through a three-year project supported by the Gebert Rüf Stiftung’s Microbials funding program, researchers at Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) have found a novel use for fungi – as they’ve developed a 3D-printed, biodegradable fuel cell that requires feeding rather than charging.