SoftBioPower

SoftBioPower is a two-year multidisciplinary R&D&i project focused on the development of fully sustainable, soft and smart sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) for implantable medical electronics. The project addresses the limitations of conventional power sources, which are typically rigid and mechanically incompatible with soft biological tissues, potentially leading to unstable battery–tissue interfaces and the need for repeated surgical interventions. As an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, the project explores sodium-ion technology, using the abundance and global availability of sodium together with biopolymers and Prussian Blue-based materials to develop more sustainable, biocompatible and flexible energy-storage systems suitable for implantation.

A key feature of SoftBioPower is the integration of multiple sensors directly into the battery, enabling real-time monitoring of parameters such as temperature and pressure and improving the safety and operational management of the device. The data collected will provide information on battery performance and help detect conditions associated with potential thermal runaway. In addition, the high-quality data generated by these smart batteries will support the development and implementation of AI-based models for battery management. The project therefore combines sustainable materials, energy storage, sensing and data-driven technologies to contribute to the development of safer, smarter and more sustainable power sources for biomedical implants.

Principal Investigator:  Sonia Lanzalaco

PhD Students: Rosha Yazdanimoghaddam

Future Presentation