Rechargeable batteries for flexible printed sensors

InnovationLab has announced a partnership with Evonik. This partnership will facilitate the first fully printed, flexible, rechargeable, solid-state batteries for integration in printed sensor systems. Merging the benefits of TAeTTOOz, printable battery materials from Evonik, and InnovationLab’s capability for high-speed printed electronics, the two companies are introducing new application areas to ultra-thin printed batteries that are more flexible, safer and more environmentally friendly than conventional metal-based batteries.

TAeTTOOz is a new material technology for printable batteries pioneered by Evonik. Based on redox-active polymers, it can be processed by traditional printing methods into extremely thin, flexible battery cells, supporting the storage of electrical energy with no requirement for metals or metal compounds. As battery cells based on it do not need liquid electrolytes, they cannot leak, excluding the possibility of fire.

“Through our partnership with Evonik, we can now produce the first fully printable rechargeable battery using our volume-production printing process,” said Dr Christoph Kaiser, head of Tech-2-Market department, InnovationLab. “This offers huge advantages to customers. Because the Evonik material isn’t charged during the production process, you can power up the battery after printing - which means you can produce them in standard production facilities instead of a specialised environment, saving considerable costs. We’ve also pioneered the easiest way to build up a rechargeable battery that’s not comprised of contaminants, making it the greenest of all battery platforms. It’s both easy to produce these new light and thin batteries, and it’s easy to dispose of them.”

“Unlike traditional batteries, TAeTTOOz is a brand-new material technology that uses our patented redox polymers instead of metal or metal compounds,” said Dr Michael Korell, head of New Growth Area Energy Storage at Creavis, the strategic innovation unit of Evonik. “That unique attribute delivers a host of benefits: Free from liquid electrolytes, batteries made with TAeTTOOz cannot leak. Our set of materials allow you to print ultra-thin, metal-free, all-solid-state batteries on flexible substrates. Our collaboration with InnovationLab shows the benefits of this approach—enabling high-speed production of safer, rechargeable batteries in the conformal shapes that fit naturally with fitness wearables, medical diagnostics, and smart labels for food packaging, supply-chain logistics, and other applications.”