Wait, that's not a football play?
The other day I uploaded a design for a printable battery. I think the concept behind the design, a watertight vessel for holding an electrolyte with spaces for two anodes, is sound. However, I’m certain the design is sub-optimal. You can find better anodes than copper and zinc and a better electrolyte than a saline solution.
I just really like the idea of a printable battery. It reminds me of the Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future – just toss some stuff in and fire it up. I’d love to see a flashlight, clip on reading LED, or water throwie that uses this kind of printable power. Print, insert electrodes, throw in saltwater, glow! Or, what about a piece of ornament or jewelery that you can empty, toss into a saltwater solution, recharge, and keep rocking? Or toys that you assemble, dunk in salt water , and it just works. Or printing a toy that requires batteries – and then handing printed batteries to the recipient?
I’m hoping that someone better versed in chemistry or materials science can improve the heck out of this design. I can think of several ways to improve this design:
- A version that can work with galvanized nails instead of zinc sheets – so you can make it instantly useable with stuff around the house.
- A version that includes a screw cap, and perhaps room for a gasket, so it can be easily “recharged.”
- A version intended to house better anode materials or better electrolyte solution.
- A version that includes a better way to attach the leads to the battery. Right now it just has holes where the leads are inserted. All it would take is a drop of ABS glue or acetone to seal the plastic around the lead.
- A version that includes ribs that separate the zinc anode from the internal copper coil. The argument against a barrier between the two anodes is that it will not offer any barrier to the electrolyte. However, if you include a barrier it will prevent the two anodes from touching one another accidentally inside the battery – but thin enough to allow the electrolyte to pass through easily. The reason I didn’t design this first draft with a barrier or ribs is that it would take a really well tuned ‘bot to print it without strings.
- I’m pretty sure that the overall power of the battery could be increased by wiring copper and zinc electrodes in series and dunking each section into a separate electrolyte solution.
Chemistry and electronics are not my strong suits – I’m hoping that others can help correct and expand upon these ideas.
