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A newly developed battery technology uses riboflavin (vitamin B2) and glucose to generate electricity, offering a safe, low-cost alternative to conventional metal-based energy storage systems. Inspired by how the human body produces energy, this research could open a new path toward environmentally friendly and scalable battery designs.
The concept, demonstrated by an international research team, focuses on a type of flow battery, which stores energy in liquid electrolytes that circulate through the system. Unlike lithium-ion batteries that rely on metals like cobalt or nickel, this setup uses glucose as a renewable fuel and riboflavin as an electron mediator, similar to its role in cellular metabolism.
In the prototype system, riboflavin facilitates the transfer of electrons between electrodes and the sugar-based electrolyte, effectively turning glucose into usable power, according to Interesting Engineering. One version of the battery used potassium ferricyanide as the oxidizing agent; another relied on oxygen.
Initial results show that the ferricyanide cell achieved power output comparable to commercial vanadium flow batteries, despite using only biodegradable components. The oxygen-based version produced slightly less power but was more appealing from a sustainability perspective—though it also revealed a challenge: riboflavin degrades when exposed to light and oxygen, leading to reduced efficiency over time.
Flow batteries, already used in some large-scale energy applications, offer a flexible design where energy and power output can be independently scaled. By replacing metal catalysts with naturally occurring molecules, the riboflavin-glucose system avoids many of the cost and sourcing issues that plague current battery technologies.
The research team plans to further improve the design by enhancing riboflavin’s stability and refining the cell’s architecture. If successful, such systems could eventually power homes or small electronics using completely non-toxic, plant-derived materials—without the environmental costs of traditional batteries.
The study was published in ACS Energy Letters and represents a promising step toward greener energy storage solutions.
