2023-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
Kumar Intl. Symp. / Secondary Battery Manufacturing & Recycling

Editors:F. Kongoli, K. Aifantis, C. Capiglia, A. Fox, R. Yazami, A. U. H. Qurashi
Publisher:Flogen Star OUTREACH
Publication Year:2023
Pages:90 pages
ISBN:978-1-989820-82-7 (CD)
ISSN:2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series)
CD-SIPS2023_Volume1
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    PRINTED BATTERIES FOR THIN ENERGY AND FLEXIBLE IoT – A MODEL SYSTEM FOR IN-SITU OBSERVATION OF ELECTODE/ELECTROLYTE INTERACTION DYNAMICS

    Pritesh Hiralal1; Shiqiang Luo2; Shaobin Zhao2; Karolina Spalek1; Dilek Ozgit Butler3; Jakub Drnec4; Gehan Amaratunga5;
    1ZINERGY UK LTD., Cambridge, United Kingdom; 2ZINERGY SHENZHEN LTD., Shenzhen, China; 3ZINERGY UK LTD, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 4EUROPEAN SYNCHROTRON RADIATION FACILITY, Grenoble, France; 5ZINERGY UK AND ZHEJIANG U., Cambridge, United Kingdom;
    Type of Paper: Regular
    Id Paper: 354
    Topic: 14

    Abstract:

    The advent of printed large area electronics has started delivering exciting innovations over the last few years. A key enabler for fully thin devices are printed energy storage devices. Over the last few years, Zinergy has embarked on a mission to develop simple, low cost, printed energy storage devices which are compatible with other printed electronic devices. 

    Printing is a very versatile technique for batteries. It allows to control not only size and shape of devices, but also via thickness control and ink formulations there is a toolkit to adapt the battery´s energy and power requirements to a large set of applications, optimising for energy, power or mechanical properties. Printing batteries allows a degree of freedom in design generally not possible with more traditional production methods. 

    In this paper we discuss the use of a printed co-planar battery electrode layout, constructed in a polymer casing which allows the in-situ observation of electrode/electrolyte dynamics. The effects during discharge at various current rates was done by visual time lapsed observation of the formation of compound residues which crystallise and re-dissolve during the discharge process. An aqueous, acidic Zinc/MnO2 system is used and the spatial observation of reactants allows also the visualisation of electrolyte/ion movement. In addition, it is noted that the presence of the separator plays a critical role in providing nucleation sites for crystallisation. Electrical discharge curves and optical measurements are complemented with in-situ X-ray synchrotron data, allowing the observation of the components formed and as a result provide a better understanding of the discharge process, leading to and overall improved battery design. 

    This paper provides an overview of the learnings from in situ measurements of co-planar aqueous zinc batteries, and it is hoped that this system may be more generally applied to observe reaction dynamics in different battery systems, contributing to the electrochemical energy storage field in general.

    Keywords:

    Characterisation; Electrochemical; Electrolytes; Interface; Ion; zinc, in-situ

    Cite this article as:

    Hiralal P, Luo S, Zhao S, Spalek K, Ozgit Butler D, Drnec J, Amaratunga G. (2023). PRINTED BATTERIES FOR THIN ENERGY AND FLEXIBLE IoT – A MODEL SYSTEM FOR IN-SITU OBSERVATION OF ELECTODE/ELECTROLYTE INTERACTION DYNAMICS. In F. Kongoli, K. Aifantis, C. Capiglia, A. Fox, R. Yazami, A. U. H. Qurashi (Eds.), Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit Kumar Intl. Symp. / Secondary Battery Manufacturing & Recycling (pp. 67-68). Montreal, Canada: FLOGEN Star Outreach