harvard scientists develop ink for 3D printing lithium-ion battery

harvard scientist develops ink for 3D printing lithium-ion batteries
all images courtesy MIT technology review

a team of scientists at harvard university and the university of illinois have developed an electrochemically active ink and custom-made syringe nozzle tips for 3D printing lithium-ion microbatteries, which measure less than the width of a human hair. printed in the form interlaced stacks of tiny electrodes, the microbatteries have the capability to supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications. unlike the ink in an office inkjet printer – which comes out as droplets of liquid that wet the page – it has been developed for extrusion-based 3D printing. in the future, the technology will assist in the advancement of miniaturized medical implants, compact electronics and even small-scale robots.

harvard scientist develops ink for 3D printing lithium-ion batteries
video courtesy harvard school of engineering and applied sciences

custom-made syringe nozzle tips measuring one micrometer wide at the opening

the inks solidify to create the battery’s anode and cathode, layer by layer: a case then encloses the electrodes and the electrolyte solution is added to create a working microbattery.  ‘not only did we demonstrate for the first time that we can 3D-print a battery; we demonstrated it in the most rigorous way,’ says jennifer a. lewis, a material scientist at harvard. ‘the electrochemical performance is comparable to commercial batteries in terms of charge and discharge rate, cycle life and energy densities. we’re just able to achieve this on a much smaller scale,’ adds assistant professor shen dillon.