A MEMS-enabled biodegradable battery for powering transient implantable devices

Active implantable medical devices (IMD) for the monitoring and treatment of transient disease states have garnered increasing interest in the medical research community. In order for these technologies to be fully viable, they require a similarly biodegradable energy source. This study presents a series of MEMS-enabled biodegradable batteries comprising Mg anodes and Fe cathodes in a 0.1 M MgCl₂ electrolyte. The anode was fabricated by electroplating Mg from a non-aqueous solution and passivated with either polycaprolactone or poly(glycerol-sebacate). Mg anodes coated with the biodegradable polymers hindered parasitic corrosion of the biodegradable anode and significantly enhanced the performance of the battery. The batteries demonstrated a capacity and power delivery capability of up to 0.7 mAh and 26 μW, respectively, which are sufficient for powering MEMS-based IMD systems.