Imprint Energy Receives Award from FlexTech Alliance

Imprint Energy, Inc., Alameda, CA, will undertake a FlexTech
Alliance-funded R&D project to expand the performance characteristics of printed, flexible Zn rechargeable batteries to a level applicable to flexible display, wireless and energy harvesting devices with high functionality. The FlexTech Alliance project award including cost share is valued at ~$725,000 and will be completed in 18 months.
Imprint Energy has developed an ultra-thin, rechargeable battery technology leveraging a robust, solid electrolyte. This novel Zinc Poly battery technology utilizes an air-stable, earth-abundant, robust materials set that is manufacturable by print-based processing and will be scalable to large dimensions for sheet or web-processing.

Imprint Energy expects Zinc Poly batteries to be competitive with lithium polymer technology, but at less than 50% of the cost and without the safety issues.

“Imprint Energy batteries based on a novel high conductivity polymer electrolyte can be manufactured using low cost, thick film deposition equipment which is sheet and web scalable, such as screen printing,” said Imprint Energy CEO Devin MacKenzie, Ph.D. “This approach to battery manufacturing will enable the full realization of printing’s benefits – low cost, versatility, scalability, and low energy consumption – and will offer the opportunity to leverage existing commercial printing equipment and know-how.”

“The scope of this project encompasses the development of low-cost, thin, rechargeable batteries consistent with a generalized need for flexible, high capacity, multilayer, large area flexible battery stacks,” said Michael Ciesinski, CEO of FlexTech Alliance. “The project with Imprint Energy will help enable flexible electronic applications, in particular flexible display and flex-solar products.”

The FlexTech Alliance R&D program is supported by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), based in Adelphi, MD.