Biocompatible, dissolvable batteries could power swallowable medical devices
Researchers built a fully biodegradable battery using magnesium and molybdenum trioxide with a rice-paper coating and beeswax seal that dissolves in the digestive tract, packaging it with fully dissolvable electronics to power swallowable devices. Tested in pigs, the RFID tag transmitted data and a stomach-stimulating device increased the hunger hormone ghrelin, illustrating potential for safe, ingestible diagnostics and therapies that won’t release toxic substances as they break down.