Zinergy – A pioneer in flexible battery technologies

The interview quickly makes it clear that printed, flexible batteries may sound simple at first but are in fact a highly innovative field of technology.

Unlike conventional batteries, which are rigid and often bulky, printed batteries must adapt precisely to the surface of objects. This places unique demands on both chemistry and manufacturing processes to ensure the batteries maintain their electrical performance even after being bent thousands of times. This is a test Zinergy routinely performs on its products.

Printed, flexible batteries also offer clear advantages in terms of materials. They are based on zinc, not lithium. Like cobalt and rare earths, lithium is a critical resource. These resources are limited in supply yet indispensable for some products, which makes them expensive. Batteries made from zinc do not require any critical resources. Zinc is inexpensive and readily available worldwide, making mass production efficient and economically attractive.

Furthermore, unlike lithium batteries, printed zinc batteries have a water-based chemistry and carry no risk of self-igniting, even when damaged or short-circuited. The IATA therefore classifies them as non-dangerous goods, safe to transport, which makes them ideal for logistics applications, including air freight where safety is critical.

The use of zinc is also a real plus in terms of sustainability: zinc batteries are easy to recycle and already meet the requirements increasingly placed on new technologies under the European Green Deal. 

There are many factors in favour of zinc. Compared to lithium, the market price is five to seven times lower, providing a significant economic advantage.

In addition, zinc is much more widely available worldwide and can be extracted more easily and in a more environmentally friendly manner. It is also less vulnerable to trade disruptions linked to political decisions. 

Lithium, on the other hand, is considered a critical raw material because it is indispensable for electric cars, smartphones, and stationary energy storage systems, while being available only in limited quantities. For applications such as asset tracking and sensor data logging, zinc-based batteries are therefore a sound technological and ecological choice. 

In the past, they have been more expensive than conventional zinc button cells or AAA batteries, which use very similar chemistry. This is mainly because manufacturing batteries with standardised dimensions allows them to be produced in billions of units with optimised processes and bulk material purchasing. Printed batteries, by contrast, do not have standardised dimensions and the market is still relatively small.

As demand grows, costs will inevitably come down, and roll-to-roll printing is ultimately expected to offer even lower costs than conventional steel-cased batteries. 

Yes, absolutely. Their extreme thinness and flexibility make it possible to print the battery directly onto surfaces, a clear advantage over conventional batteries. Classic battery technologies do not allow such seamless integration. This is precisely where the disruptive potential of our solution lies.

With a little bit of serendipity. While the world is changing now, traditionally, manufacturing operations have been viewed more positively in the East than in the West. This, combined with the fact that the initial investor was a former fellow Cambridge engineer who shared our vision, made it a natural fit. 

The combination of cost-effective manufacturing, low unit costs, and high environmental compatibility makes our battery technology a sustainable solution with great potential. Our investors see it that way too. This also led to the establishment of our facilities in Shenzhen, which has allowed rapid expansion in production performance and capability. We already have one of the world's largest production capacities for printed batteries. 

The process of producing these cells is not conventional. As a result, manufacturing technology and the ability to make developments and improvements quickly are key. When it comes to the cost-efficient production of integrated labels, roll-to-roll manufacturing is fundamental. This involves producing the entire label in a continuous process, and that is exactly what we are working on with our label partners. 

At present, many circuits are still manufactured separately, often on polyimide or even classic printed circuit boards. Although our battery can be printed directly onto such substrates, the crucial step is integration into a fully continuous manufacturing process.