Bio-battery runs on shots of vodka

New Scientist ^ | March 24, 2003 | Celeste Biever

[FairOpinion]

An enzyme-catalysed battery has been created that could one day run cell phones and laptop computers on shots of vodka.

The key to the device is a new polymer that protects the fragile enzymes used to break down the ethanol fuel, scientists told the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in New Orleans on Monday.

Enzyme-based batteries have the potential to be cheaper than fuel cells that rely on expensive platinum or ruthenium catalysts. "It sounds great," says Bob Hockaday, founder of the company Energy Related Devices and designer of a methanol-powered battery. "Enzymes are inexpensive and catalytically very active."

Fuel cells work by converting into electricity the energy released when oxygen and hydrogen react to produce water. Pure hydrogen is an explosive gas and difficult to store, so fuel cells often use a chemical source. Ethanol is used in Minteer's cell, and the enzymes strip off the hydrogen.

But the enzymes are sensitive to slight changes in pH and temperature and can rapidly degrade and become inactive. Until now no bio-battery had enzymes that lasted for more than a few days.

Specially tailored pores

The typical approach to solving this problem has been to immobilise the enzymes by attaching them to the fuel cell's electrodes, but they still tend to decay too quickly to be useful.

So Shelley Minteer and her colleagues at St Louis University in Missouri coated the electrodes with a polymer that has specially tailored pores. These maintain a neutral pH, while being small enough to trap the enzymes yet big enough to let the alcohol pass through. "The enzymes have lasted over two months now and they are still functioning," she says.

Toshiba has just unveiled its first miniature methanol-powered fuel cell, which promises to keep laptops running for five hours between re-charging. But Minteer says: "The main advantage of ethanol over methanol is that it is simply more readily available. We have actually run our cells off vodka and gin."

Furthermore, ethanol is more productive with the enzymes used by Minteer's team and is less toxic. Their bio-batteries have power densities 32 times greater than those of other groups, they claim.

However, unlike the Toshiba prototype, the cell is still too large for portable use. The group is currently working to shrink the technology, perhaps by tweaking the polymer-enzyme matrix in order to increase its surface area further.

[FairOpinion]

Can you imagine walking into a bar and asking for a shot of vodka for your cell phone?

[Cool Guy]

ENERGY DRINK :)

[merrin]

Bio-battery runs on shots of vodka

So this guy carries his laptop into a bar and asks for two shots of vodka...

[Slings and Arrows]

Does this mean that Russia is a superpower again?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Of course, boss, these shots are for my laptop.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[FairOpinion]

Or, gee, sorry, the battery of my laptops keep running down, that's why I need two shots of vodka every hour. ;)

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[xm177e2]

I see "bio," "battery," and "shots" all in the same headline, and I assume the story will be about something bad. Go figure.

[razorback-bert]

Will it run twice as long on Everclear?

[FairOpinion]

I don't know, but the article said they are running it on vodka and gin. I wonder which does the battery like better.

Two martinis please... one for me and one for my computer.

But all joking aside, that would be a nice renewable energy source.

[toast]

Does this mean that Russia is a superpower again?

No. Strangely enough, this fuel only seems to last about a half hour for Russians. The continual refueling of the battery makes it impractical.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well, what will they think of next!

[quietolong]

And you all thought Bender was made up.

[quietolong]

For those of you who do not know who Bender is.
http://www.fox.com/futurama/bios/bender.htm

[FairOpinion]

LOL!

No, I didn't know who Bender is.

[lavaroise]

Expensive to dump vodka in computer time, but helpful in case of urgent need.

[brityank]

Screw the IRS -- return the "Two Martini Lunch".

Hic! ^o~

[Fractal Trader]

This is series!

Uprising By Shiites in Basra Underway; British Pouring Artillery into City

[weikel]

In other news the Russian stock exchange has doubled in value.