Solid State Energy Storage Devices Monolithically Printed from Dispersions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microbattery fabrication techniques face challenges in miniaturization due to incompatibility of traditional methods with shrinking battery sizes, leading to safety concerns, increased parasitic weight, and high manufacturing costs, while existing methods like inkjet printing use organic components that hinder battery performance and introduce instability.
Innovation Solution
The development of an all-solid-state microbattery fabricated through directed assembly-based printing of nanoparticles, which allows for the monolithic printing of cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte at microscale dimensions without sacrificial templates, using a cathode-supported electrolyte membrane for enhanced ionic transport and low interfacial resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional thin film battery fabrication processes are used for miniaturization, then battery dimensions are reduced, but liquid electrolyte leakage risk and safety concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the electrolyte from liquid to solid form. This parameter change eliminates the leakage risk inherent in liquid electrolytes while maintaining ionic conductivity, directly resolving the safety concerns associated with miniaturized batteries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a simple, scalable printing process that uses inexpensive materials and equipment. The solid electrolyte is applied as a thin film that can be manufactured cost-effectively, making the miniaturized battery both safe and economically viable.
2Volume of moving object
If traditional fabrication methods are used for miniaturized batteries, then battery size is reduced, but parasitic packaging weight increases relative to active materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin film structures for the solid electrolyte and electrode components. This thin-film approach minimizes the packaging and structural materials needed, reducing parasitic weight while enabling miniaturization of the battery.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery is fabricated using a printing process that deposits materials in discrete, optimized layers. This segmentation allows precise control over material usage and eliminates excess packaging, reducing the ratio of parasitic weight to active materials.
3Ease of manufacture
If inkjet printing is used for microelectrode preparation, then fabrication simplicity is achieved, but organic components and surfactants hinder battery performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes harmful organic components and surfactants from the fabrication process. By using a water-based or solvent-free printing approach with inorganic nanomaterials, the method maintains fabrication simplicity while eliminating performance-hindering additives.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials consisting of inorganic nanoparticles (such as metal oxides or sulfides) combined with conductive polymers or carbon materials. These composites provide both the structural integrity needed for simple fabrication and the electrochemical performance required for reliable battery operation, without requiring organic surfactants.
4Manufacturing precision
If sacrificial templates are used for microscale electrode fabrication, then compact microscale resolution is achieved, but fabrication process complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical sacrificial template approach with a direct printing method using nanomaterial inks. This substitution eliminates the complex multi-step processes of template fabrication, material deposition, and template removal, achieving microscale resolution through controlled material deposition alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fabrication approach from using physical templates to using nanoscale material properties. By controlling particle size, concentration, and deposition parameters of nanomaterial inks, microscale resolution is achieved without the complexity of sacrificial templates.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a microbattery with superior performance, achieving 157 mA h g−1 discharge capacity and 99.7% coulombic efficiency after 200 cycles, with reduced interfacial resistance and scalability for large-scale production, addressing safety and cost concerns.
Implementation Method 1
The resulting porous cathode material allows polymer electrolyte to intercalate within the cathode material, resulting in a cathode-supported electrolyte membrane which enhances battery performance through superior ionic transport
Implementation Method 2
fabricated by directed assembly-based printing of nanoparticles on a substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An all solid-state Li metal microbattery is fabricated by directed assembly-based printing of nanoparticles on a substrate, which facilitates the fabrication of all battery components, including cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte at microscale dimensions and without the need for costly and complex fabrication techniques. The porous cathode material allows polymer electrolyte to be intercalated within the cathode, resulting in a cathode-supported electrolyte membrane which enhances battery performance through superior ionic transport, low interfacial resistance between the electrolyte and the cathode, and providing electronic pathways through the cathode framework.