New materials help medical devices charge themselves

According to the China Daily, batteries are very important for implantable medical devices. When the battery stops working, the patient may have to do another surgery to replace the battery. According to the report of the United States "Scientific American" magazine recently, scientists at Princeton University in the United States have invented a compact and flexible material that can collect energy through its own limb movements. Patients can maintain their heart beat only by breathing.

Michaela McAlpin, head of the research group, said that the key to this invention is the innovation in the form of piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric materials undergo electrical polarization when subjected to mechanical stress, so both motion and pressure can generate electrical energy. However, general piezoelectric materials are very hard, and they are not easily bent and are usually toxic.

So the research team invented the nano-piezoelectric instruments. They are separated by layers of silicone. As we know from breast augmentation surgery, silicone is very flexible and does not cause human rejection.

McAlpine said that the first commercial application of this material may be used to replace light emitting LEDs in children's sports shoes, but he hopes that these materials can be applied later in power pacemakers and implanted into the lungs.