Biocompatible Batteries-Materials and Chemistry, Fabrication, Applications, and Future Prospects

Energy storage systems for powering electronic medical implants and sensors are essentially based on conventional electrode materials and electrolytes. Because of their toxicity, these battery systems need special encapsulation, which leads to bulky devices. Batteries based on biocompatible electrodes and electrolytes overcome these limitations and hold promise as viable alternatives for powering medical implants and devices. The present review aims at giving an overview of possible battery systems and current performance. It also gives a summary of battery architectures and their fabrication, with a focus on potential miniaturization. Advances in biocompatible batteries are expected to have not only a large impact on electronic medical implants and point-of-care monitoring systems, but also for environmental sensing and transient electronics.