Graphene batteries are developing into the next big improvement in our everyday devices. As opposed to Lithium-ion, these have the potential to improve the performance of our gadgets, but their disposal (like that of their counterparts) is also going to be a hazardous problem. This is where a new biodegradable fungal battery from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) may help.Courtesy of this breakthrough by Swiss researchers, fungi which can feed on sugar instead of charging could be used to power devices in the near future. This is achieved through a 3D printed fungi for battery, which is biodegradable. It can digest itself from the inside once it has served its life purpose, a researcher suggests.Designer: EmpaThe fungal battery is 3D-printed using fungi cells mixed with printing ink (which is nutritious for the fungi and completely biodegradable) that can feed on sugar and be stored in a dried state for transportation and activated by adding water and nutrients. This is for the first time, according to the researchers that two types of fungi yeast fungus for negative (or anode) side and a white rot fungus on the positive (cathode) side have been combined to create a functioning fuel cell.Strictly speaking, the cell is not a battery, but amicrobial fuel cell. Empa researcher Carolina Reyes informs. The fungi fuel cell has been developed over a period of three years. It does not generate a lot of electricity to maybe power your smartphone today, but can produce enough to power a temperature sensor for several days.So, if you were thinking, these fungi cells are not going to replace the batteries in your everyday devices, instead such batteries when encased in beeswax can power small sensors to monitor temperature, light, and humidity in agriculture and environmental research in remote areas. In addition to running devices in the outdoors, these can decompose safely leaving no harmful traces behind. There is no information about making these cells commercially available anytime soon, but the research opens new horizons for the use of fungi to produce electricity and become probable battery alternatives for our portable devices.The post 3D printed, biodegradable battery made of fungi powers sensors, feeds on sugar instead of charging first appeared on Yanko Design.