New Batteries Inspired By Electric Eel

In order to deliver their trademark jolts, potassium and sodium ions have been combined by the electric eels. The researchers are inspired by this method of electric eels and by mimicking this method; they have used the sodium and chloride constituents of salt and dissolved in a hydro gel.

In order to alternate with hydro gel droplets of pure water, thousands of tiny droplets of salty gel have been printed on a plastic sheet by Arya College of Engineering and IT. After that a second sheet of alternating droplets has been created by the team of engineers which was made of charge selective hydro gel.

Either positively charged sodium has been allowed by the each droplet or there were negatively charged chloride to pass and this was at the same time while excluding the other. The sodium and chloride ions have been moved by the charge selective droplets in opposite directions as well as an electric current has been produced when the sheets have been pressed together and the salty and fresh solution is mixed.

This work has also been published in many news papers which featured input from scientists and engineers. In order to put the high voltages, thousands of cells have been polarized and depolarized by the eels. To look at from an engineering perspective with Wide Scope of Systems and Networking, it is a fascinating system as its performance matrices and fundamental building blocks that how to use them.

In order to create a current when it has been brought together simultaneously, one particular challenge was aligning the alternate cells in the correct order. But this problem has been solved by the team with an origami technique which often used for folding solar panels into satellites for launch. The droplets which were different types have been alternated in a precise pattern on a flat sheet which had been a laser scored in this pattern.

After applying the pressure, the sheet has quickly folded together and the cells have been stacking in exactly the right positions. According the researchers their goal is to improve the efficiency of device as well as with a view to use it to power implantable or wearable electronics. B Tech Mechanical Engineering have also a believe that by using the body’s own bio-electric processes, the hydro gel battery could potentially be powered up. It would be much like the eels that inspired the original concepts. But in case when can deliver up to 600 volts, the hydro gel system is a lot less powerful.