Move over, Energizer Bunny, there's a new battery in town and it's powered by bacteria! Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have developed a tiny biobattery that could potentially still be functional after 100 years. That's right, folks, you can now power your great-great-grandkids' gadgets with a biobattery that's older than them.

The biobattery, which is about the size of a dime, uses spore-forming bacteria to generate power. The device is sealed with Kapton tape, which can withstand temperatures ranging from -500 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. When the tape is removed and moisture is allowed in, the bacteria mix with a chemical germinant that encourages the microbes to produce spores. The energy from that reaction is enough to power an LED, a digital thermometer, or a small clock.

The researchers' ultimate goal is to create a microbial fuel cell that can be stored for a long period without degradation of biocatalytic activity and can be rapidly activated by absorbing moisture from the air. So, how did they achieve this feat? By taking inspiration from their previous research into an ingestible biobattery activated by the pH factor of the human intestine. Talk about thinking outside the box!

While the military applications of such a power source are obvious, there are plenty of civilian uses for it, too. Imagine having a biobattery that could power your emergency flashlight or radio for years on end without needing to be replaced. And the best part? It's powered by bacteria! Who needs alkaline batteries when you can have a colony of microbes generating electricity for you?

Of course, there's still work to be done to improve the power output and speed of activation, but as Professor Seokheun "Sean" Choi says, "I think this is a good start." And who knows, maybe in a hundred years, our great-great-grandkids will be marveling at our primitive alkaline batteries and wondering how we ever managed without bacteria-powered biobatteries.

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⚛️ "Quantum Composites" for Electrical and Optical Innovations

Breakthrough Research at UC Riverside

UC Riverside researchers have made a quantum leap forward in the field of materials science. A group of electrical engineers and material scientists at the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering led by Professor Alexander Balandin has developed a new class of materials called "quantum composites," which exhibit functionality at a much wider range of temperatures than other quantum materials, making them ideal for electrical, optical, and computer technologies. Quantum materials are used to build quantum computers that can operate beyond the limitations of current computing based on chips that use binary bits for computations. They are also sought after for creating super-sensitive sensors used in electronic and optic applications. However, quantum phenomena are typically observed only at extremely low temperatures, making them impractical for everyday use.

The quantum composites developed by the UCR researchers consist of small crystals called "charge density wave quantum materials" combined with a polymer matrix. These composites are unique because they have an unusually high dielectric constant, meaning they can store electricity more efficiently, and their charge density wave material exhibits functionality as high as 50º C above room temperature. This temperature tolerance opens up the possibility for a wide range of applications of quantum composites in electronics and energy storage.

According to Balandin, energy storage capacitors can be found in battery-powered applications, and capacitors can charge and discharge faster than batteries. By using quantum composites as an energy storage material, the energy per volume can be increased, potentially broadening the use of capacitors for energy storage. The researchers also discovered that the composites have potential applications in reflective coatings. The change in the dielectric constant induced by heating, light exposure, or the application of an electrical field can be used to change the light reflection from the glasses and windows coated with such composites.

This research provides a new conceptual approach for tuning the properties of composites and may become a game-changer for many applications. The team at UCR collaborated with other researchers from the University of Nebraska and the University of Georgia to synthesize and test these materials, leading to a breakthrough in the development of quantum composites. The study was published in the journal Advanced Materials.