Iranian Scientists Develop Eco-Friendly Fuel Cell for Disposable Medical Kits
Professor Keyvan Sadeghi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tehran has successfully developed a disposable medical diagnostic kit that uses a microfluidic, paper-based fuel cell instead of conventional lithium batteries.
Supported by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), this innovation enables rapid and precise testing for infectious diseases, pregnancy, blood glucose levels, and water contamination—including detection of heavy metals such as lead—while minimizing energy waste and environmental hazards.
“Over the past decade, there has been an unprecedented growth in home-use diagnostic kits for conditions such as malaria, HIV, and COVID-19,” said Sadeghi. “These kits are now widely used for health monitoring, and they also provide a simple method for detecting water pollution.”
The kits are typically made from porous substrates such as paper, where a droplet of blood, plasma, saliva, urine, or water sample moves through the paper via capillary action to reach a reaction cell.
In low-cost versions, chemical reactions between the sample and antibodies on colored lines indicate the presence of target substances through visible color changes. Advanced electronic kits include printed circuit boards and can display results digitally, store data, and even send test outcomes to a physician’s mobile device.
Currently, most kits rely on lithium-polymer batteries. While lithium batteries are efficient and relatively inexpensive, Sadeghi notes that lithium is a non-renewable resource, and extraction processes can easily contaminate groundwater. Moreover, these batteries are often discarded before fully depleted, causing energy waste, potential chemical leakage, and fire hazards.
To address these issues, Sadeghi’s team developed a bio-friendly “flow battery” fuel cell for the kits. This fuel cell uses quinone compounds as both fuel and oxidant, providing a renewable and environmentally safe energy source. The innovation aligns with global trends in renewable energy, emphasizing the shift away from finite fossil fuels and toward sustainable alternatives.
According to the INSF, the quinone-based electrolyte used in this fuel cell is plant-derived, non-toxic, and highly suitable for portable electronic devices such as medical diagnostic kits. This breakthrough offers the potential for safer, sustainable, and cost-effective kits that can meet the growing domestic and international demand for disposable diagnostic tools.
Sadeghi emphasized that this project represents cutting-edge, knowledge-based innovation, combining sustainable energy solutions with advanced medical diagnostics to create kits that are both environmentally responsible and technically effective.
