Flexible Battery Structure with Patterned Hinge Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery structures face mechanical failures due to orthogonal flexure and flexural shear, leading to reduced flexibility and increased stress during bending, which can cause cracking or delamination, limiting their use in flexible electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A flexible battery structure is designed with patterned active layers and a hinge region, featuring slots that reduce the cross-sectional area and incorporate compliant materials, allowing for enhanced flexibility and reduced stress by distributing forces more evenly across the layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional battery structures are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but flexibility and ability to withstand bending are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The battery structure is divided into multiple discrete layers (anode layer, cathode layer, electrolyte layer, current collector layers) that can independently flex and deform. This segmentation allows each layer to accommodate bending stresses separately, preventing catastrophic structural failure while maintaining overall battery flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery employs composite material construction with multiple functional layers including flexible current collectors, elastic substrates, and compliant materials. These composite structures provide both the mechanical flexibility needed for bending and the structural integrity required for operational stability, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and strength.
2Quantity of substance
If battery layers are made thicker for better performance, then energy capacity increases, but stress during bending increases leading to cracking or delamination
Solution Approach 1:
The battery utilizes thin-film construction with flexible current collector layers and elastic substrates that can bend without cracking. This thin-film approach maintains sufficient energy capacity through optimized material composition while providing the flexibility and stress resistance needed to prevent cracking and delamination during bending operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the battery layers by using materials with appropriate elastic moduli, thicknesses, and mechanical properties. By optimizing these parameters, the battery achieves adequate energy capacity while maintaining reliability under bending stresses, preventing cracking and delamination.
3Reliability
If rigid materials are used for current collectors, then electrical conductivity is improved, but flexibility and stress distribution are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The current collector layers are constructed as composites combining conductive materials with flexible substrates. This composite structure maintains adequate electrical conductivity for battery operation while providing the flexibility and stress distribution capabilities needed for bendable battery applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery employs flexible thin-film current collectors that balance electrical conductivity with mechanical flexibility. These thin-film structures provide sufficient conductive pathways for electrical operation while maintaining the flexibility and stress distribution properties required for bending and deformation.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments are directed to flexible battery structures comprising a flexible hinge region. For example, a flexible battery structure may comprise a plurality of battery layers. A first portion of the layers may be continuous across the hinge region and one or more cell regions. A second portion of the layers may be discontinuous at the hinge region.