This shows a blue LED emission operated by flexible solid state battery. Credit: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

The
team of Professor Keon Jae Lee from the Department of Materials Science
and Engineering, The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST) has developed a high performance flexible all-solid-state
battery, an essential energy source for flexible displays.

   

The
technological advance of thin and light flexible display has encouraged
the development of flexible batteries with a high power density and
thermal stability. Although rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIB)
have been regarded as a strong candidate for a high-performance flexible
energy source, compliant electrodes for bendable LIBs are restricted to
only a few materials (e.g., organic materials or nano/micro structured
inorganic materials mixed with polymer binders). The performance of LIBs
has not been sufficient either, thereby difficult to apply to flexible
consumer electronics including rollable displays.

   

In
addition, lithium transition metal oxides used as a cathode electrode
have to be treated in high temperature (e.g., ~ 700 degrees for lithium
cobalt oxide). However, it is not possible to anneal the metal oxides,
an active material, at this high temperature on flexible polymer
substrates.

   

Recently,
Professor Lee’s research team has developed a high performance flexible
LIB structured with high density inorganic thin films by using a
universal transfer approach. The thin film LIB fabricated on a mica
substrate with high annealing temperature is transferred onto polymer
substrates through a simple physical delamination of sacrificial
substrates.

   

Professor
Lee said, “The advent of a high performance flexible thin film battery
will accelerate the development of next-generation fully flexible
electronic systems in combination with existing flexible components such
as display, memory, and LED.”

   

The
research team is currently investigating a laser lift-off technology to
facilitate the mass production of flexible LIBs and 3D stacking
structures to enhance charge density of batteries.

Bendable Inorganic Thin-Film Battery for Fully Flexible Electronic Systems

Source: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)