InnovationLab Acquires Flexible Printed Battery Technology from Evonik

InnovationLab announced that it has acquired the TAeTTOOz® printable battery technology from Evonik. InnovationLab and Evonik have been close partners in this field for many years and have jointly driven the technological development of TAeTTOOz to the present threshold of industrial scale production.

TAeTTOOz is the first technology of its kind that enables flexible, rechargeable solid-state batteries to be printed at industrial scale. These ultra-thin, printed batteries are more flexible, safer and more environmentally friendly than traditional metal-based batteries. Typical applications are set to include low-cost IoT sensor labels for packaging and stock management, wireless industrial sensor technologies, and self-powered signage solutions.

“We are very excited to now be offering our customers printed, polymer-based, rechargeable batteries as the next game-changing component in the field of printed electronics,” said Dr. Janusz Schinke, head of printed electronics at InnovationLab. “Our material and printing experts have worked closely with Evonik on developing this technology for several years. And with Heidelberg Printed Electronics as our manufacturing partner, we are now looking forward to bringing printed rechargeable batteries into mass production. We have an existing portfolio of active customer projects that, thanks to TAeTTOOz, will continue to expand both in scope and number.”

“This industrialization phase will see Evonik providing TAeTTOOz technology to our long-term partner InnovationLab,” added Dr. Michael Korrell, head of new growth area energy storage at Evonik. “InnovationLab’s strong industry-leading position and its ‘one-stop shop’ philosophy, combined with TAeTTOOz and printed electronics capability, will enable it to offer an impressive array of unique, customized solutions.”

TAeTTOOz technology can also be used with energy harvesting components to create self-powered signage, packaging and other innovative devices. For example, the technology has already been successfully applied in conjunction with printed organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells.

TAeTTOOz is based on redox-active polymers and can be processed using conventional printing methods to produce thin, flexible battery cells, which enable electrical energy to be stored without the need for metals or metallic compounds. Battery cells based on TAeTTOOz technology do not require liquid electrolyte to function, which inherently eliminates the risk of leakage and any resultant hazards.