Breathing new life into failed nerve endings, University of Wisconsin scientists developed new lithium-battery technology to power various medical devices implanted into patients suffering from muscular disorders.

The new technology — developed in coordination with Argon National Laboratory in Madison, Advanced Bionics Corp., Quallion LLC in California and the Alfred Mann Foundation — uses an "extremely stable," highly conductive organosilicon compound called Siloxane and magnetic induction to provide a wireless, rechargeable energy source for devices that simulate the human body's own nerve impulses.

"The beauty of this is you can use the current in the battery … and then recharge it from the outside," Robert West, the spearhead of UW's organosilicon research and professor emeritus of chemistry, said. "This is the way we can make it [work for] 10 years or so."

After retiring from his UW professorship, West helped found the university's Organosilicon Research Center to seek out and identify potential applications for the technology, specifically in the medical field.

Leading the center, West has spent the last several years developing new organosilicon chemicals capable of making smaller, stronger and longer-lasting lithium batteries.

"My idea was to fundamentally search [for] what would be valuable to the organosilicon industry 10 years from now," he said. "Our job then was to design new molecules and work on their conductivity and stability."

Because the devices — dubbed "Bions" and measuring two to three millimeters in diameter and 20 to 25 millimeters in length — are injected into human tissue and must function indefinitely without removal, West and his team's research has proved invaluable in an industry that strives to replace defunct nerve tissue.

"We can supply the same electrical impulse that the nerve would," West said. "We're close to optimism now."

Thanks to the research center's findings, Bions are already in use treating urinary incontinence and have the potential to aid and alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's, epilepsy and spinal-cord injuries.

"The Bion project itself is a very exciting project," manager of Argon's Advanced Battery Program, Khalil Amini, said. "We're coming close to the bionic man."

Amini said by implanting multiple Bions in an individual, the technology would be able to revive entire groups of muscles, such as a limb. When the Bions begin to run out of electricity after a week or so, Amini added the person could simply sit on a magnetic mat to recharge.

"If you put hundreds of Bions in a man, you want to make sure they last until the guy dies," he said, adding the technology would allow him to "charge himself while he watches TV."

A key member in West's research team, Viacheslav Demev, added the wirelessly rechargeable technology could someday be used to power larger devices, such as a refrigerator.

"This is going to be a big market in the not-too-distant future," he said. "It can be used in conjunction … with applications which are really high powered."

For its research, the Organosilicon Research Center's team and its various associates' device was recognized with the R&D Magazine's "R&D 100 Award," honoring the top 100 technological breakthroughs in the world.

"It usually goes to engineers," West said. "As chemists, we're pleased."