Micro-batteries for miniature devices
15 October 2008
News
Information from Frost & Sullivan Technical Insights
As the trend of miniaturisation in electronic devices continues, most of these devices tend to have high power requirements due to a high degree of various functional integrations.
Batteries of various sizes are widely used as power supply sources for almost all electrical and electronic devices, but space constraints tend to favour micro-batteries. As space constraints grow ever tighter, researchers are envisioning that the energy for tomorrow’s miniature electronic devices could come from tiny micro-batteries about half the size of a human cell and built with viruses.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers have developed a way to at once create and install such micro-batteries by stamping them onto a variety of surfaces. These batteries could one day power a range of miniature devices, from labs-on-a-chip to implantable medical sensors.
Batteries consist of two opposite electrodes – the anode and cathode – separated by an electrolyte. In the current work, the MIT team created both the anode and the electrolyte. First, on a clear, rubbery material the team used a common technique called soft lithography to create a pattern of tiny posts either four or eight millionths of a metre in diameter. On top of these posts, they then deposited several layers of two polymers that together act as the solid electrolyte and battery separator.
The next step involved viruses that self-assemble atop the polymer layers on the posts, ultimately forming the anode. They altered the virus’s genes so that it formed protein coats that collect molecules of cobalt oxide to form ultra-thin wires. The final result: a stamp of tiny posts each covered with layers of electrolyte and the cobalt oxide anode. This was then turned over and transferred to a platinum structure.
This pioneering method used by the researchers to fabricate and position micro-battery electrodes, and achieve virus-based assembly does not involve any expensive equipment, and is done at room temperature. The resulting electrode arrays exhibit full electrochemical functionality.
In a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes assembling and successfully testing two of the three key components of a battery. In addition to developing the third part of a full battery – the cathode – via the viral assembly technique, the team is also exploring a stamp for use on curved surfaces and integrating the batteries with biological organisms.
For more information contact Patrick Cairns, Frost & Sullivan, +27 (0)21 680 3274, patrick.cairns@frost.com, www.frost.com
Further reading:
From the editor's desk: Inspiring the next generation
Technews Publishing
News
Welcome to the August issue of
Dataweek. Peter Howells is still on leave, so I am back for this issue. I hope you enjoy the content and find value in it.
August is Women’s Month in South Africa,
...
Read more...
Procurement is becoming a competitive advantage
RS South Africa
News
As mining, manufacturing and industrial businesses continue to navigate rising costs, supply chain disruption and increasing pressure to improve operational performance, procurement and inventory management have become strategic business priorities rather than simply administrative functions.
Read more...
Powell Electronics signs partnership agreement with IOT Electronics
IOT Electronics
News
Powell Electronics has entered into a partnership agreement with IOT Electronics to strengthen its presence across southern Africa.
Read more...
Omniflex delivers ICCP systems across London
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
News
Omniflex has supplied impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems for a range of prominent buildings across London, helping to protect reinforced concrete structures from corrosion and extending their service life.
Read more...
New appointments for Würth Electronics South Africa
Würth Electronics South Africa
News
New appointments for Würth Electronics South Africa
Read more...
MTN celebrates 80 Western Cape digital graduates
News
Eighty unemployed young people from across the Western Cape have successfully completed MTN South Africa’s Digital Skills for Digital Jobs (DS4DJ) programme, earning accredited qualifications in Data Analytics, Systems Development and Cybersecurity.
Read more...
GirlCode Hackathon 2026 kicks off across South Africa and Botswana
News
GirlCode, in partnership with Absa Group, Truecaller, MTN, SAP Fioneer, RS South Africa and other ecosystem partners, successfully hosted the first leg of the 2026 GirlCode Hackathon.
Read more...
Rooibos heads to space
News
A South African scientific initiative linking agriculture and space research has officially launched today with the Rooibos in Space programme at Parklands College’s Innovation Centre in Cape Town.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Local can be international
Technews Publishing
Editor's Choice News
Welcome to the July 2026 issue of
Dataweek. As you can see from this introduction,
Dataweek’s regular editor, Peter Howells, is on extended leave and I am filling the void in his editor’s column – hopefully without being too boring.
Read more...
Landis+Gyr EMEA introduces new company name: EYKON
News
EYKON is the new company name of Landis+Gyr EMEA, formerly part of the Landis+Gyr Group. The company supports electricity, gas, water and thermal utilities in managing increasingly complex networks, improving operational efficiency and enabling more sustainable use of resources.
Read more...
printer friendly version