New materials can help make batteries flexible and energy-dense enough to power displays like this one on bendable, implantable, and wearable electronics.
The high-performance materials used in the traditional rechargeable lithium-ion batteries aren't flexible, and most materials that are bendable can't store enough energy to run a display. Flexible battery substrate materials, such as plastic, paper, or textiles, can't withstand the high temperatures required to build electrodes using the high-quality inorganic materials of rigid batteries.
A flexible inorganic, thin-film lithium-ion battery made of all solid-state materials delivers enough energy density to power this bendable display. (Source: Nano Letters)
Keon Jae Lee, a professor of material science, and his colleagues at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science, joined by researchers at Seoul National University, have devised a bendable, inorganic, thin-film lithium-ion battery made of solid-state materials (registration required). Its peel-off temporary substrate material, made of mica, can tolerate the high temperatures (around 700C) used to anneal lithium cobalt oxide electrodes, which are commonly used in lithium-ion batteries for portable electronics.
The team wanted to take high-performance lithium-ion battery materials and make them flexible. To do so, they used the universal transfer approach. After building the battery on the temporary mica substrate, they used an annealing process that created a high-quality lithium cobalt oxide cathode. The battery was completed with a solid electrolyte and a lithium-metal anode. The annealing process also helped the researchers delaminate the battery from the mica using tape by weakening the intermolecular forces between layers.
The battery's flexible substrate was then made by encapsulating it in flexible sheets of polydimethylsiloxane. The final battery is 10 microns high.
The researchers say their battery has an energy density of 2,200µWh per cubic centimeter -- higher than any previously reported flexible battery. The team supported this performance with finite element analysis simulation. Lee and his colleagues also integrated the battery with a flexible organic LED display -- they say this is the first time this has been achieved.
The team says this new transfer approach can be applied to other flexible applications, such as thin-film nanogenerators, thin-film transistors, and thermoelectric devices. The researchers are investigating a one-step laser liftoff process for delamination that will enable high-volume fabrication of large-area lithium-ion batteries. They are also devising ways to increase the batteries' energy density, such as eliminating some of the external polydimethylsiloxane sheets.
Nadine, I admit that I have a tough time believing flexible displays can work. They seem so counterintuitive, yet there are several development efforts going on to produce them.
It's going to be interesting to see what applications come from this. The flexible displays I've seen are fun, but I haven't seen them in a setting where flexibility was a necessity rather than a nice gimmick. Yet I'm sure somebody will come up with a great idea once this technology is available.
I'm sure that engineers will find many applications for thin film batteries and displays. I can remember when people claimed the only application for PCs was to store recipes. We've found some new apps since then.
I agree, Rob. I have a feeling a few years from now they will be in the technology domain in products that we don't even give a second thought to as being out of the ordinary...kind of like the evolution of LED flashlights.
One idea did come to me while reading through the comments. I can see this used for tablets aimed at the kid's market. I never imagined that a $400 item could be popular for children. If you've ever watched two toddlers arguing over an ipad, you know what I mean.
Good point, Chuck. We're likely to be surprised by what shows up now that this flexible technology is becoming available. It didn't take long for applications to show up for the PC. Smart phones are another good example. Using the phone to make a call almost seems an afterthought for young users.
I agree, Nadine. Tiny kids take to tablets in a remarkable way. In a family, the kids take over the tablets in ways they never tried to do with desktops or laptops. Flexible computers will be perfect for kid applications.
I can remember reading about two potential plastic battery technologies more than a decade ago. I'm not talking about using plastic as an armature. There were two developments; one was more like a cap for charge storage; the other was like an organic plastic. I can also remember about film batteries which was more like plastic armature with the media deposited on the plastic film.
Yes, Chuck, just a few apps since then :) For flexible displays, the apps I see mentioned most often are watches and other wearable computers, medical devices, and signage. I think Nancy's right: once the tech is available, they will be all over the place and we'll wonder how we ever did without them.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
The latest model of Liquid Robotics' Wave Glider autonomous, unmanned marine vehicle (UMV), the SV3, is reportedly the world's first hybrid wave- and solar-power-propelled unmanned ocean robot.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
7 
