Printable, paper-thin battery possible by year's end
By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- 7/7/2009
Researchers from the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems (ENAS) in Chemnitz, Germany, together with colleagues from TU Chemnitz and Menippos GmbH have claimed a paper-thin battery that can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process.
The battery (pictured) is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and contains no mercury for ROHS regulations. The battery has a voltage of 1.5V, ENAS said, noting that by placing several batteries in a row 3V, 4.5V, and 6V can be achieved.
ENAS described the new type of battery as being composed of different layers, including a zinc anode and a manganese cathode, among others. Zinc and manganese react with one another to produce electricity, however, the battery's anode and the cathode layer dissipate gradually during this chemical process. Therefore, ENAS suggested that the battery is suitable for applications that have a limited life span or a limited power requirement and gave greeting cards with musical or recording inserts as an example.
According to ENAS, the batteries are printed using a silk-screen printing method similar to that used for t-shirts and signs. The researchers described the process as a kind of "rubber lip" pressing the printing paste through a screen onto the substrate and said that a template covers the areas that are not to be printed on. ENAS said that through this process it is possible to apply comparatively large quantities of printing paste resulting in individual layers that are slightly thicker than a hair.
The researchers said they have already produced the batteries on a laboratory scale and expect that at the end of this year the first products could possibly be finished.
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