Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Civil/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering
Session: 4
Room: Exhibit Hall
Benito Rincon Ramirez - Arizona State University
Co-Author(s): Harish Bhat, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ;Candace Chan, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
As some modern wearable devices are being innovated, it becomes essential to utilize flexible batteries. Normal batteries are rigid and may not be a good fit for some of these devices. Flexible batteries should come across intense movements and be able to supply power effectively. Throughout time, the repeated movements may cause the flexible battery to break down. A successful flexible battery will be able to tolerate consistent bending, compression, and tension without having a decrease in lifespan. The battery is sealed in a polymer packaging material to keep out air and water, which can fail during bending. The objective of this study is to find the optimized temperature for sealing, determine the baseline seal strength without bending, and understand the effect of bending on the packaging seal strength. The force to cause failure of the packaging seal was investigated in different circumstances with and without bending. Two black adhesive tapes were added between the sealing area to secure the metal tab used for electrical connections to the battery electrodes. A tensile tester was used to measure the packaging seal strength and a bending machine was used to repeatedly bend the sealed packaging material. The results show that sealing at higher temperatures results in higher force to cause seal failure. As the tab is introduced, the seal strength becomes weaker. After bending, the seal strength was also shown to decrease. The results of this research can be used to better determine the suitability of packaging materials for flexible batteries.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): Candace K. Chan Research Group, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University; Funded in part by the Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities (WAESO) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) National Science Foundation (NSF) Cooperative Agreement No. HRD-1619524
Faculty Advisor: Candace Chan, candace.chan@asu.edu
Role: The part of the research I did was do the experiments in the lab. I prepared samples, observed samples, ran the experiments, and analyzed data. I reported the data to my mentor.