If you’re tired with the same old type of batteries with the few varying shapes and leaking walls, it’s time to switch to these new printable solid-state batteries, which can be of any shape under the sun and be fitted into any surface you want.

The main difference between these new batteries and the conventional ones is that the Li-on batteries come with a divider between two electrolytes so as to avoid mixing. These new inventions come with solid electrolytes that acts as ion-conducting medium.

“The new solid-state electrolytes are printable and also solidify after exposure to UV irradiation, eventually acting as an alternative separator membrane,” says Sang-Young Lee, a Professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea.

The electrodes inside the battery are encased by a paste-form of electrolyte. After the batteries are printed out in the desired shape, and fixed onto a surface, (For instance, the frame of a mobile phone could itself be a battery), the battery is exposed to UV rays and the paste hardens.

The printed battery has been shown to provide just as much runtime as traditional batteries. It is to be shown that 90 percent capacity retention after 30 cycles with no loss of charge. These properties of the printed battery are attempting to be improved upon by change in the density and/or increase in the printing area.

“We are trying to find unprecedented application fields that we have not yet encountered, most of which have difficulties using traditional batteries due to shape/design limitations,” Lee says. “One of most promising application fields is wearable electronics and the IOT (Internet of Things).”

Technologies like 3-D, and ink jet would greatly benefit from these printed batteries. If all goes well, 5-7 years of waiting before these batteries are out.

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Author:Technology Blog