Five-Axis Curved-Surface Multi-Material Printing on Conformal Surface to Construct Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery Modules

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Storage
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Compact electronic devices require efficient energy storage solutions.
• Space optimization and portability are critical for scientific exploration tools.
• Traditional batteries limit integration into non-planar structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate adaptable and customizable compact aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs).
• To leverage additive manufacturing for creating ZIBs on curved surfaces.
• To integrate ZIBs with temperature sensing capabilities for functional electronic systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized five-axis curved-surface multi-material printing for ZIB fabrication.
• Employed tungsten-doped manganese dioxide as the cathode material.
• Integrated printed nano-silver serpentine resistor temperature sensors and used intense-pulse sintering for circuit creation.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated compact ZIBs with high conformity on curved surfaces.
• Demonstrated shorter ion transportation paths due to the five-axis motion system.
• Integrated a functional circuit with a Light Emitting Diode (LED) for temperature sensing via brightness variation.

Conclusions:

• Additive manufacturing enables the creation of conformal ZIBs on complex surfaces.
• This approach offers significant advantages in space utilization and adaptability for electronic devices.
• Paves the way for novel flexible and conformal power sources in scientific and technological applications.