Abstract
A disposable cable-shaped flexible battery is presented using a simple, low cost manufacturing process. The working principle of an aluminum-air galvanic cell is used for the cable-shaped battery to power portable and point-of-care medical devices. The battery is catalyzed with a carbon nanotube (CNT)-paper matrix. A scalable manufacturing process using a lathe is developed to wrap a paper layer and a CNT-paper matrix on an aluminum wire. The matrix is then wrapped with a silver-plated copper wire to form the battery cell. The battery is activated through absorption of electrolytes including phosphate-buffered saline, NaOH, urine, saliva, and blood into the CNT-paper matrix. The maximum electric power using a 10 mm-long battery cell is over 1.5 mW. As a demonstration, an LED is powered using two groups of four batteries in parallel connected in series. Considering the material composition and the cable-shaped configuration, the battery is fully disposable, flexible, and potentially compatible with portable biosensors through activation by either reagents or biological fluids.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 055011 |
| Journal | Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 19 2016 |
Keywords
- aluminum-air battery
- battery
- carbon nanotube
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering