SBIR Phase I: 3D Printed Electrodes for High Performance Microbatteries

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be the development of high energy dense, rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion microbatteries, with a significantly increased energy density per unit area. Such batteries will transform next-generation Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and wearable devices, such as earbuds, watches and medical sensors. Current microbattery technologies show a critical limitation with regard to the energy, power and life cycle requirements of device makers. This innovation leverages three-dimensional (3D) printed microscale cathode electrodes, while also employing wafer-level processing to achieve superior manufacturing uniformity. The project will impact a Total Available Market (TAM) of $10 billion across the IoT and wearable devices markets. The technology will enable high density batteries that extend the usage of healthcare devices, while opening newer applications that require added computation and power. The project will lead to a robust, reliable, scalable, and commercially viable Li-ion microbattery platform that enables the next generation of microelectronic devices. The intellectual merit of this project includes utilization of rapid 3D printing to manufacture microlattice cathodes and semiconductor wafer-level manufacturing processes to build microbatteries at scale. The microlattice cathode will have thicknesses of >450 micrometers compared to the current 60-80 micrometers, increasing energy storing material from under 20% to greater than 60% of the battery volume and thus increasing energy storage. The wafer manufacturing process will decrease cost and increase yield to over 95%. The technical challenges to be solved include the printability of conventional and next-generation battery materials and understanding the electrochemical performance of the 3D printed structures and how the structures interact in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Specifically, scientific insights will be gained into the manufacturing process, such as understanding fluid dynamics for the printing process to rapidly build 3D microscale structures. Research objectives include demonstrating the 3D printability of lithium iron phosphate and lithium cobalt oxide cathodes, fabricating hermetically sealed microbattery cells, and proving the repeatability of the cell design and the semiconductor manufacturing process. The anticipated technical results will create a fundamental understanding of 3D printed electrodes and their integration with semiconductor processes, establishing a platform technology for next-generation energy storage solutions that overcome traditional microbattery limitations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.