Using Printing to Enhance Battery Structure and Increase Energy Density

A PARC researcher had an “a-ha” moment while brushing his teeth with striped toothpaste, giving him the idea to structure batteries more efficiently using printing technology. Without changing fundamental chemistry, “co-extrusion” printing of batteries increases energy and power, and ultimately decreases cost. This presentation explores how this innovative battery printing technique, already being implemented with a partner for solar cell fabrication, improves how we can design and make batteries. PARC has demonstrated a 20 to 30 percent energy density improvement for coin cell batteries.