Turkish, Slovak scientists launch project to develop battery-free pacemaker technology

By Masallah Dag

ISTANBUL (AA) — A joint Turkish-Slovak research team has launched a three-year project to develop implantable medical devices, including a pacemaker, that can operate without batteries by harvesting radio frequency (RF) energy.

According to a statement from Yildiz Technical University (YTU) in Istanbul, the project was selected for funding under the 2025 call of the TUBITAK–Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) 2540 Bilateral Cooperation Support Program, following the completion of the scientific evaluation process.

Among three initiatives approved to strengthen scientific cooperation between Türkiye and Slovakia, the project titled “Development of Biocompatible Nanocomposites for Next-Generation RF Energy Harvesters” will be led by Peyman Mahouti from YTU’s Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Juraj Kronek from SAS.

The BioNanoHarv project aims to introduce structural innovation in medical implant technologies by designing an implantable dielectric energy harvester using biocompatible polymer nanocomposite materials, specifically PCL/TPU, produced through 3D printing techniques.

Researchers plan to develop hybrid structures with high dielectric constants and low energy loss, enabling medical devices such as pacemakers to generate power from externally transmitted RF waves without requiring conventional batteries.

The 36-month project will combine infrastructure and expertise from both countries into a unified device concept.

The Turkish team will lead the development of nanocomposite formulations, additive manufacturing processes, microwave design for multi-band devices, and artificial intelligence-assisted optimization.

The Slovak team will work on developing antibacterial surface coatings that are compatible with human tissue, as well as conducting in vitro biological safety tests.

In the final stage, the integrated device will be tested under controlled RF exposure with specially created phantoms that mimic heart tissue to determine energy harvesting efficiency, stability, and voltage regulation.

The project has been allocated a total budget of €185,000 (about $217,066), including €65,000 from TUBITAK and €120,000 from SAS.

Peyman Mahouti said the project seeks to develop an innovative RF energy harvesting system capable of wirelessly meeting the power needs of implantable medical devices without batteries.

“Thanks to the biocompatible nanocomposite materials with high dielectric properties that we will develop, systems such as pacemakers, biosensors, and other implant devices will be able to receive electrical power wirelessly from outside the body,” Mahouti said.

* Writing by Seyit Kurt