Using new ink to print out battery infrastructure

Jennifer Lewis Jennifer Lewis, a material scientist at Harvard University, is using new inks to print out the basic structure of the battery, which could be used in 3D printing of lithium batteries and other electronic products in the future, the Technologyreview website reported November 28.

Although the technology is still in its early stages of experimentation, its future is bright. Imagine using it to print biomedical sensors that can be attached to the skin, to deliver vital signs to smartphones, or to make existing products simpler and faster.

Lewis divides the manufacturing process into two important steps, first using "Functional ink" to create simple components such as electrodes, wires, antennas, and so on. Then she uses an industrial-grade 3D printer plus her own nozzle high-pressure extruder to generate batteries and other products. Lewis's ink took advantage of the technology of suspending nanoparticles, such as adding lithium compounds when making batteries, and adding silver compounds when making wires. These elements can be mixed in a variety of ways, they are almost solid in normal form, but they become liquid when the appropriate pressure is applied. When printed on an object, the ink will restore the solid state again. It takes a few minutes to print a battery with a single needle, but Lewis's modified 3D printer can use hundreds of needles to output ink at the same time.

Unlike high-end electronics, which require high temperatures to work properly, this printing technology can be done at room temperature, which means it can be printed without any loss. Mr Lewis says the battery material itself is not a breakthrough, but "the way it is made is really creative".

The lithium-ion battery that Lewis prints is only 1 square millimeters, but performance is comparable to industrial battery products. Lewis's processing accuracy can reach 100 nm, by connecting a large number of small batteries, can eventually make a large battery.

Lewis's team currently has 8 patents on the ink, and they are trying to make the technology commercially available in the next few years. Although the original plan was to introduce the technology to manufacturers, she said, the printing technology could eventually become a special collection for geeks.