Batteries become safe to swallow with spongy covering
New coating switches from a conductor to an insulator to prevent injury
By Beth Mole
Eating a battery may no longer require a trip to the emergency room.
With squishy silicone and tunneling electrons, researchers have created coated batteries that prevent unwanted zaps. The quantum-inspired coating works by switching from being a conductor —which it is when squeezed into an electronic gadget’s battery housing —to an insulator when it’s taken out and, perhaps, accidentally gulped. The finding, appearing November 3 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help avert the estimated 5,000 hospital visits due to battery ingestion each year in the United States.