The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project will develop a new process to reshape batteries through rapid, custom manufacturing. The battery industry?s manufacturing process has remained relatively unchanged over the past 40 years, impacting applications such as Digital Health and the Internet of Things (IoT). This project will develop a novel platform for battery manufacturing using a cure-on-command technology, which will expedite the components curing process from hours to seconds. The cure-on-command technology will provide added multiple benefits to battery manufacturing through elimination of certain processing steps, such as cost savings, capital equipment savings of 3x, and environmental friendliness.The aims of this project are to benchmark the benefits of cure-on-command technology for rapid manufacturing of battery components, demonstrate its application for ultra-thin, flexible batteries, and highlight its technical and economic benefits to battery manufacturing. The biggest hurdle to new methods in battery manufacturing has been the thermal evaporation process, which is a slow (500 m2/min) curing process. The key objectives of this proposal will be: (1) formulate zinc-silver oxide battery materials with cure-on-command technology, (2) test performance and durability of batteries in comparison with the state-of-the-art battery manufacturing process and materials, and (3) integrate and test a small prototype battery (20-220 mAh) to replace bulky, rigid coin cells in devices for Digital Health and IoT applications.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.
