Strategic Elements Ltd. reported rapid technological progress in generating electrical energy from moisture in the air by 100% owned Australian Advanced Materials and research partner The University of New South Wales (UNSW). An investigation into whether Energy InkTM cells generate more electrical charge as they increase in size was successful, with a single 100 cm2 Energy InkTM cell generating over 1400 mAh of electrical charge. Unlike lithium-based batteries, Energy InkTM uses green, sustainable materials that are safe and non-flammable and can be flexed and bent around the human body or structures when printed onto flexible plastic.

The Energy InkTM technology is still in early development, and the fundamental upper limit of aspects such as maximum power output, duration and energy density remains unknown. Significantly, the team continues to identify multiple avenues that increase performance. To date, development has been focused on 36cm2 battery cells relevant to the large electronic skin patch market.

However, in the latest work, the Energy InkTM cell size area was increased to 64cm and then to 100cm to test whether Energy InkTM cell power output increases as the physical size of the cell increases. The 100cm2 cell included some (but not all) of the technological breakthroughs made by the team since the beginning of the year. When fabricating larger Energy InkTM cells, challenges include printability over a larger area, ink adhesion and electrical contact connections, which the team continues to improve.

The results showed that over the 14-day testing period, a single 100 cm Energy InkTM cell successfully generated over 1400 mAh of electrical charge, a 400% increase on the 36 cm cell pack reported on January 25, 2022.