Sweet Power

The carbohydrates found in sugar and other starchy foods are commonly known as an energy source for humans and other animals. What some researchers at Virginia Tech are working on utilizes sugar in a unique matter — as a material giving a battery its “juice.” It gives the term “sugar buzz” a totally new meaning.

Early Research reveals the Promise of Sugar

When compared to their lithium ion counterparts, these new sugar powered batteries developed in the lab are capable of storing 10 times as much energy. More importantly, sugar is much more environmentally friendly than the materials currently used in battery manufacturing. The nation’s landfills stand to benefit if and when these batteries become commercially available.

Improving the Extraction of Electrons from Glucose

Scientists have been aware of the promise of sugar and carbohydrates as a power source. Traditionally, the problem involved the inefficiency when extracting electrons from their glucose units. Previous researchers were happy to harvest one or two electrons from a glucose unit in the lab.

A Virginia Tech professor of biological systems engineering, Percival Zhang, created an enzyme path capable of extracting all 24 electrons from one unit of glucose. A series of chemical reactions using this enzyme path works its magic, producing energy. “We just put everything together, and they do everything by themselves—they are chemically selective catalysts,” said Zhang.

Maltodextrin: not just for Junk Food Anymore

Zhang noted that maltodextrin — a partially hydrolyzed starch normally used in junk food production — is cheaper than other forms of sugar. It also releases its energy in a more controlled fashion. Expect this technology, once it is successfully commercialized, to be used in mobile technology like smartphones, where users would “recharge” their phone by filling the device with a sugar-based solution.

Now instead of mobile phone users misplacing their chargers, they will forget to bring their flask of sugar water!

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