In the action-packed world of Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt receives messages that self-destruct in seconds. Science fiction, yes — but what if your medical implant could do the same?
At Binghamton University in New York, researchers have taken a dramatic step toward that vision. They’ve built a battery that doesn’t just power itself using microbes from probiotic yogurt — it also dissolves when it’s done, leaving nothing toxic behind.
“We used well-known electricity-producing bacteria, which is within biosafety level 1, so it is safe,” said Seokheun “Sean” Choi, professor of electrical and computer engineering and co-author of the new study. “But we were not sure what would happen if these bacteria were released into nature.”
That concern led Choi and his student team to rethink the microbes inside their so-called “biobatteries.” Their new work, published in the journal Small, swaps conventional electricity-generating microbes for a cocktail of 15 commercial probiotics — the same kinds found in dietary supplements and fermented food.
The Battery That Vanishes
Disposable electronics is a growing field in medicine and environmental monitoring. Imagine a temporary sensor swallowed like a pill or buried in polluted soil that powers up only when needed, does its job, and then vanishes.
But while the electronics themselves can now be made to dissolve, the power source remains a problem.
Most batteries rely on toxic metals like lithium or cadmium — not ideal if you’re putting them in the human body or dumping them in nature. Microbial fuel cells, which use bacteria to generate electricity, offer a greener option. But many of those bacteria, like Shewanella oneidensis, aren’t considered fully safe or biodegradable, especially outside the lab.
That’s where probiotics come in.
“Whenever I made presentations at conferences, people would ask: ‘So, you are using bacteria? Can we safely use that?’” Choi recalled. “It’s well documented that probiotics are safe and biocompatible, but we were not sure if those probiotics have electricity-producing capability.”
So the team, led by PhD student Maryam Rezaie, tested it.
Not Just Yogurt Bacteria
The first experiments were discouraging. Unlike their more electric cousins, probiotics aren’t natural dynamos. But the researchers tried a workaround. They coated the paper-based battery’s electrodes with a rough, porous material made from polypyrrole and zinc oxide nanoparticles — a blend known to encourage microbial growth and boost electron transfer.
This trick worked.
Voltage and current levels remained modest — a single biobattery produced about 4 microwatts of power and lasted between 4 and 100 minutes depending on its size and coating — but that was enough to prove the point.
More importantly, the entire system was safe and biodegradable. The paper substrate dissolved in water. The electrodes and membranes — minimal in material — broke down.
“This is a proof of concept,” Choi emphasized. “Other research must be done. We used probiotic blends, but I want to study individually which ones have the extra electric genes, and how synergistic interactions can improve the power generation.”
Designed to Self-Destruct
The most compelling thing about this kind of biobattery wasn’t just the microbes — it was that the battery knows when to disappear.
The team wrapped their device in a low-pH-sensitive polymer that only dissolves in acidic environments. That means the battery can stay intact until it enters, say, the stomach — or a patch of polluted soil — where it then activates and starts powering.
In one test, the encapsulated device stayed dormant in neutral tap water but dissolved entirely within 160 minutes in a solution of pH 3.5. As it broke apart, it generated power — then vanished.
The system could be tailored further. By adjusting the number of tiny, snaking microchannels inside the paper battery, the researchers could extend or shorten the battery’s life. The simplest version ran for 4 minutes. A longer design lasted 22. With more coatings, it pushed past 100.
It’s all controlled by how water or acid seeps into the battery’s layers, triggering both the electricity and the destruction.
What Can It Power?
Right now, not much.
These batteries won’t be charging your phone anytime soon. But they might be enough for small, low-power tasks — like sensing temperature or pH, transmitting short signals, or activating tiny circuits.
The applications are potentially transformative.
Temporary medical implants could avoid a second surgery. Environmental sensors could monitor hard-to-reach areas without polluting them. Military devices could disappear without a trace. And in every case, there’s no need to retrieve or recycle anything.
The power output remains a challenge. But the concept, Choi argues, is here to stay.
“I want to contact them in series or parallel to improve the power,” he said. “This is just a beginning.”
The idea of using living organisms to power devices is no longer fringe science. In recent years, researchers have harnessed sweat, blood, even tears as power sources. But this study marks one of the first to tap into friendly, food-grade microbes — and make the entire device vanish afterward.
