This Self-Destructing Battery Dissolves in Water After Use

Scientists have created a self-destructing battery that dissolves in water after use.

Researchers at the Iowa State University developed a battery that self-destructs and dissolves in just 30 minutes when submerged in water. This dissolvable battery could help save the planet by reducing waste caused by discarded electronics.

The lithium ion battery can produce 2.5 volts and is capable of powering a desktop computer for 15 minutes, the researchers said. The battery is also said to be the first so-called "transient" battery to have the power, stability and shelf life needed for practical use, Treehugger reports.

"Unlike conventional electronics that are designed to last for extensive periods of time, a key and unique attribute of transient electronics is to operate over a typically short and well-defined period, and undergo fast and, ideally, complete self-deconstruction and vanish when transiency is triggered," the researchers wrote in their paper, which was published in the Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics.

The battery measures 5 mm long, 6 mm wide and 1 mm thick, and is similar to commercial batteries in terms of components, structure and electrochemical reactions. It is composed of eight layers, which include the anode, cathode and electrode, and is wrapped in a polyvinyl alcohol-based polymer.

Once dropped into the water, the battery's polymer casing swells and the electrodes break apart, thus causing it to dissolve. However, the researchers said that the batteries contain nanoparticles, which dissolves but does not completely disappear. The dissolving process could take about half an hour.

Scientists are exploring dissolvable batteries in an effort to reduce electronics waste. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is also developing electronic circuit boards that could be dissolved in water. According to the scientists, the circuit boards will break down within three to six months at the landfill site.