Invited viewpoint: biodegradable Mg batteries

Abstract

The development of biodegradable electronics, or transient electronics, excludes the need for second surgeries for device removal, reduces the potential infection risks and also opens up opportunities in the development of zero-waste and green electronics which would be degraded after a certain period of operation. Batteries are a vital component of transient electronics since they serve as biodegradable power sources. Recently, magnesium-based biodegradable batteries have gained considerable attention owing to their advantages of high specific capacity, high energy density, long shelf-life, desirable biodegradability, high physiological tolerance, low cost and high safety. The main drawback of Mg, as a widely explored anode material in biodegradable batteries, is its high degradation rate due to a low corrosion resistance, especially in aqueous environments. Therefore, controlling the degradation rate of Mg anodes is crucial, and this is usually achieved by several strategies such as coating, adding alloying elements and thermomechanical processing techniques. Moreover, the development of biodegradable battery cathode materials and electrolytes is also crucial for preparing fully-biodegradable batteries. The current study is designed to give an overview of the up-to-date research progress on the development of anode, cathode and electrolyte materials for use in biodegradable Mg batteries. In this respect, the strategies for materials selection, the fabrication schemes, battery architectures and their electrochemical and in-vivo performance are summarized. Finally, the future outlook is discussed to help in the development of green biodegradable Mg batteries that are viable in the fields of medicine, flexible wearables and consumer electronics.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Terence G Langdon: orcid.org/0000-0003-3541-9250

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