Avetik R. Harutyunyan - Carbon Nanotube Enabled High Energy Density Ecofriendly Flexible Li-ion Battery

Recent advances in wearable devices boosted demand of batteries with high energy density and excellent robustness towards mechanical stresses. We address this challenge by eliminating electrochemically inactive metal current collectors, binders and additives from Li-ion battery architecture by using self-standing electrodes, and thereby approaching the ceiling of gravimetric energy density imposed by Li-storage material. This novel solution-free electrode fabrication technology is based on in-situ mixing of as-grown pristine single-wall carbon nanotubes with aerosolized active materials in ratios that provide electrical conductivity higher than percolation value, adequate mechanical robustness under stretching ( ≤15%), bending (d≥2mm) and twisting (θ>180o) cycles. This technology eliminates the use of toxic solutions and binders from production line, and thereby allows easy recycling of the constituent materials. Moreover, it promotes the ecofriendly circular economy for batteries, which is vital in anticipation of about two million metric tons of annual battery waste generated globally by industries. As examples, I will present a wristband-shape flexible battery that powers a commercial smartwatch (3.7V, 250mAh) that operates as a heart rate monitoring sensor, as well as batteries integrated into a functional textile for powering a commercial accelerometer sensor.

Dr. Avetik R. Harutyunyan is currently a Senior Chief Scientist    and Research Director at Honda Research Institute USA Inc., (San Jose, CA). His areas of research include the studies of nanoscale materials for quantum information science (QIS) and alternative energy applications perspectives. He is an author of more than 150 scientific publications and more than 100 patents.  He is a Fellow of APS and AAAS also Elected Chairman of External Advisory Board of ECS. Harutyunyan received his B.A. degree in “Quantum Physics and Electronics” and Ph.D. in “Solid-State Physics and Mathematics”.