Research

Biodegradable Plastic (PLA)

Why is there a need for compostable batteries?

• Humanity is heavily dependent on plastic and the fossil fuels used to make them. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, and the use of petrochemicals to create plastics is unsustainable. Plant-based plastics are made from renewable materials, so they are much more sustainable than regular plastics.
• Humans create an exorbitant amount of waste, and non-biodegradable plastics are thrown into landfills or float in the ocean for possibly hundreds of years until they are degraded under UV rays in a process called photodegradation. Most bacteria do not break down plastics as they do organic materials. Some plastics in landfills might not receive the sun's rays and these plastics could potentially never be fully broken down. The plastics that end up in the ocean may degrade faster as they are under the hot sun and surrounded by water, but the toxic chemicals within the material are harmful to aquatic animals.
• The electrical/electronic sector of the plastic industry grows at a rate of over 6.3% each year, and will likely continue to expand in the future, making for a greater need of compostable electronics and batteries.

What is PLA?

• PLA stands for polylactic acid, which is currently the most popular biodegradable plastics and used in various applications from pillow covers to biomedical implants. 
• PLA is made from corn, which is a renewable resource, and it decomposes into water and carbon dioxide between 47-90 days. Starch is isolated from corn, converted to dextrose, fermented using bacteria, and polymerized to make PLA plastic.
• PLA is made through ring-opening polymerization of lactides. The lactic monomers used in this process arise from the fermentation of sugar feedstocks. Commercial-grade PLA is often made from L-lactide and D,L-lactide. The ratio of these two types affects the melting temperature and crystallinity of the plastic. 
• PLA is a easily breakable on its own, but increases in strength with the incorporation of plasticizers. 
• PLA can now be used for bulk applications due to a new method of purification and production that is more cost-effective than previous methods. 
• The net amount of carbon used and created when creating this plastic stays relatively neutral, so despite carbon dioxide emissions, it is still relatively safe for the environment.
• Companies such as NatureWorks that create this type of biodegradable plastic are working on new versions of PLA to lower the ecoindicator points of the material, so that it can be as sustainable as possible. 

Has this material been applied to electronics before?

• PLA has been applied to both a laptop casing and as part of a Nucycle desktop computer. 
• PLA has also been used for conductor cable coating, socket coating, and computer network device casing. 
• PLA can be developed into many different textures, and the rigid material needed for a battery casing has been created before for other electronic applications.
• PLA has not been found to have been used specifically for a battery yet.

Are there any potential problems with this material?

• To quickly degrade, PLA needs to be exposed to temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius, which doesn't occur naturally. It could potentially take a very long time to degrade without this exposure. 
• To fully replace the amount of plastic that is currently used, PLA production would use 0.7% of the world's plant resources, which contributes to food insecurity. 

Resources

"CLEAN - Soil, Air, Water." Sustainability of Biobased and Biodegradable Plastics (2008): 433-32. Drexel Libraries. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

Ebnesajjad, Sina. Handbook of Biopolymers and Biodegradable Plastics: Properties, Processing, and Applications. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2013. Knovel. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

Martin, O., and L. Averous. "Poly(lactic Acid): Plasticization and Properties of Biodegradable Multiphase Systems." Polymer 42.14 (2001): 6209-219. ScienceDirect. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

Bio-Batteries

A few forms of bio-batteries have already been researched and developed.

Bio-battery that utilizes trees:

• This bio-battery was the creation of  Professor Lars Wågberg of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden as well as Professor Yi Cui of Stanford University.

• The process that is carried out to create this battery involves thinning out tree fibers, dissolving and freeze drying nanocellulose and then stabilizing the molecules to create a sturdy but soft material.
• This material is then coated with an ink that can conduct electricity through aerogel.
• This aerogel battery is said to be good for use in electric cars as well as clothing.

Bio-battery that runs on sugar and maltodextrin:

• This battery works due to the stripping of charge potentials from sugar that occurs when the sugar goes through an enzymatic pathway.
• This battery also utilizes biocatalyst enzymes in place of materials such as platinum which is costly as well as not as environmentally friendly
• Water is a byproduct of this battery
• The solution within the battery is not flammable or explosive like other batteries
• It has a high energy storage density.

Bio-battery inspired by origami:

• This battery can be powered by a drop of dirty water! This is due to its utilization of microbial respiration, which uses organic materials that contain bacteria.
• The battery is made from paper just as origami is, which makes the battery inexpensive and biodegradable. It costs 5 cents.
• The cathode is nickel that is sprayed onto the paper, while the anode is screen printed with carbon paints.
• A hydrophilic or “water-resistant” area is formed between the anode and cathode due the the wax boundaries on the battery.

Resources

"Binghamton Engineer Creates Origami Battery". Binghamton University Research News. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. 

"Environmentally Friendly, Energy-Dense Sugar Battery Developed To Power The World's Gadgets". Vtnews.vt.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

"KTH | Trees Are Source For High-Capacity, Soft Batteries". Kth.se. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

CeeLite

Why use CeeLite’s Flexible Panels as opposed to conventional lighting (light bulbs)?

• CeeLite technology utilizes low-level lighting that generates minimal heat, and no light pollution as it is fairly dim.  However, brightness level can be controlled if needed and employing multiple tiles together creates more than enough light for a room.  
• Because the CeeLites utilize Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), further explained below, they consume very little amounts of electricity relative to other systems like those that use incandescent, neon, or fluorescent lighting.
• In addition, CeeLites can have lots of unique and interesting qualities that allow them to have countless applications not feasible through other systems. These flexible panels are extremely durability, resilient, and light. They are also extremely simple to design and installation due to few components. Lastly, they can be engineered into countless objects, even clothing! And they are programmable to do special effects.

How does it work?

• CeeLites are powered by inverters which convert the electrical current, either direct or alternating current, to the required voltage and frequency.
• In this project, however, biodegradable batteries will be utilized instead to create an overall decomposable and environmentally friendly product.
• One CeeLite panel equals one pixel of light.
• They use the amazing technology of electroluminescence (explained below).

What is electroluminescence and how does the CeeLite utilize this concept?

• Electroluminescence is the concept wherein a material emits light in response to an electrical current or a strong electric field.  CeeLite uses organic light-emitting diodes (or OLEDs) which use an organic compound as the electroluminescent material wedged between two electrodes, the top of which is transparent.  The organic material that acts as the CeeLite’s emissive layer is phosphorus.   Alternating or direct current is directed to the phosphorus, which in turn gives off light.

How will be programming, specifically Arduinos, be involved?

• Arduinos will be employed to create more interesting and consumer-friendly lighting systems.  Using the simple programming platform, Arduino Uno, the CeeLite panels will be able to flash, blink, brighten, working on a counter, and countless other applications.

Resources

“Ceelite 1mm Thin LEC Light Panels.” CPD Lighting. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

Kamtekar, Kiran T., Andrew P. Monkman, and Martin R. Bryce. “Recent Advances in White Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices (WOLEDs).” Advanced Materials 22(2010): 572-82. Web. 26 Apr. 2017

Meier, Sebastian B., et.al. “Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells: Recent Progress and Future Prospects.” Materials Today 17.5 (2014); 217-23. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.