14 DAY TRIAL // In a paper published in the January 21 issue of the top scientific journal Nature Communications, researchers at the Virginia Institute of Technology present an innovative, newly-developed battery that runs on sugar.
The power-storing device has unmatched energy density, while boasting lower costs.
Other benefits of the new device over traditional batteries include the fact that they are refillable, and also that they can be safely disposed of, since they are biodegradable.
The research group that created the battery was led by associate professor of biological systems engineering Y.H. Percival Zhang.
The expert says that sugar is one of nature's most amazing energy storage compounds. The new battery can hold an order of magnitude more energy than previous sugar batteries, meaning that any devices it powers can run for longer before they need to be recharged.
Zhang explains that, if the new battery comes to the market, refilling it would be as simple as putting any type of sugar in, similar to how a printer cartridge is filled.
The flow of energy out of the battery is controlled via a complex cascade of enzyme-mediated pathways, Science Blog reports.