SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research(SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of printing and integrating custom, unconventional form factor batteries utilizing a zinc-metal oxide battery chemistry with a novel ionic liquid gel electrolyte into next generation robotic systems. Conventional batteries have been unable to address the inherently challenging power system needs of robots: light and mobile, inherently safe, composed of cheap and sustainable materials, easily integrateable into non-planar formats, and able to survive extreme environments. As the field of robotics advances, what is being demanded of its batteries is a fundamental evolution in its materials, engineering, and architecture. Solution-based print manufacturing is used because the fabrication method is dynamic and enables batteries to be manufactured in a variety of form factors and on planar and non-planar substrates. In robotic devices, batteries can be incorporated into structural materials, conformably coated onto surfaces, or integrated within the electronic circuit boards to enable greater power performance that will increase the run-life and functionality of the robot. The aims of this project are to benchmark its battery technology's cycle life and extreme environmental stability capabilities, demonstrate the printing of custom series and parallel battery system configurations, and showcase its unique flexibility properties. The broader impacts/commercial potential of this project are the establishment of a new battery technology and manufacturing paradigm which can be disruptive to markets requiring novel device functionality and form factors. The significant reduction of the cost and environmental impact of batteries offer an opportunity to key segments such as robotics the opportunity to repurpose and revitalize the printing industry to manufacture next generation batteries. Success in this project will showcase this battery technology's feature set and manufacturing methodology to further differentiate itself from its competitors, increase customer interest, secure early customer development funding or partnerships, and meet specifications needed to scale towards producing commercial products. Past approaches to battery miniaturization have been met with significant barriers that have limited market acceptance and restrained development of a variety of burgeoning fields requiring portable power. A prime example is the robotics market and more specifically the wireless and wearable technologies sectors, which could be revolutionized by the battery technology and manufacturing approach presented in this project

This Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase II project will expand the performance of a novel zinc battery chemistry which leverages a high conductivity polymer electrolyte, and further characterize the battery system to increase its commercial attractiveness to interested customers and partners, particularly for small portable and flexible electronics applications. The novel zinc battery chemistry is an ultrathin, flexible and rechargeable battery technology. This battery chemistry utilizes an air-stable, earth-abundant, robust, and non-lithium materials set that is manufacturable by print-based processing and is scalable to large dimensions with sheet or web manufacturing. The goals of this project are to increase understanding of this new battery chemistry, demonstrate and characterize its unique flexibility, scale the technology to pilot-level manufacturing, and improve its commercially relevant performance properties. The broader impacts/commercial potential of this project are diverse. They include the establishment of new battery chemistry and manufacturing paradigm which can be disruptive to markets requiring novel device functionality and form factors. This technology also allows for significant reduction of the cost and environmental impact of batteries for growing and potentially ubiquitous application. Lastly, this new approach to battery manufacturing presents the opportunity to repurpose the printing industry to produce next generation batteries. Despite considerable prior work in the field of batteries, there is a large mismatch between available battery technologies and the performance, form factor, cost, and manufacturing requirements needed to serve as a platform battery system to power flexible and wearable electronics, robotics, sensors, energy harvesters, displays, and wireless electronics. The novel battery technology being developed in this project can alleviate these constraints and potentially revolutionize the portable electronic market to achieve new form factors, capabilities, and spur adoption into new application areas