Stretchable and biodegradable plant-based redox-diffusion batteries†

The redox-diffusion (RD) battery concept introduces an environmentally friendly solution for stretchable batteries in autonomous wearable electronics. By utilising plant-based redox-active biomolecules and cellulose fibers for the electrode scaffold, separator membrane, and current collector, along with a biodegradable elastomer encapsulation, the battery design overcomes the reliance on unsustainable transition metal-based active materials and non-biodegradable elastomers used in existing stretchable batteries. Importantly, it addresses the drawback of limited attainable battery capacity, where increasing the active material loading often leads to thicker and stiffer electrodes with poor mechanical properties. The concept decouples the active material loading from the mechanical structure of the electrode, enabling high mass loadings, while retaining a skin-like young's modulus and stretchability. A stretchable ion-selective membrane facilitates the RD process, allowing two separate redox couples, while preventing crossovers. This results in a high-capacity battery cell that is both electrochemically and mechanically stable, engineered from sustainable plant-based materials. Notably, the battery components are biodegradable at the end of their life, addressing concerns of e-waste and resource depletion.