A method for remotely charging implants inside a person has been developed

High-tech devices have long been used in surgery as pacemakers, electronic pumps and other implants in the human body. One of the main problems that owners of such devices face is battery replacement, which often occurs surgically. A new type of battery allows wireless recharging, reducing the risk of infection and improving the quality of life of the carrier.

The new technology of remote charging is based on the use of a soft biocompatible material as a battery that absorbs sound waves passing through the body. The best candidate for this role was called a hydrogel, which has both the properties of electrical conductors and biocompatibility, which makes it ideal for use in bioelectronics. Polyvinyl alcohol combined with MXene, carbide, nitride or carbonitride nanosheets was used to create a new type of hydrogel.

As it turned out, the resulting material can generate electricity under the influence of ultrasonic waves. During the experiment, it was possible to charge a new battery, which was at a depth of several centimeters under an impromptu layer from the cell structure. The effect, during which the pressure causes the flow of electric ions in the water to fill the hydrogel, was called the “potential of flow vibration”. Scientists do not report when the new development will begin to be used in real conditions.

Source: eurekalert.org