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Strategic Elements makes battery breakthrough with innovative Energy Ink technology

Published 21/03/2023, 12:15 pm
Updated 21/03/2023, 12:30 pm
Strategic Elements makes battery breakthrough with innovative Energy Ink technology

Strategic Elements makes battery breakthrough with innovative Energy Ink technology

Strategic Elements Ltd (ASX:SOR) is making headway with its mission to bring its Energy Ink™ technology to the electronic skin patch market, valued at US$10 billion and counting.

The pooled development fund, which has a mandate to back innovative Australian ventures, has managed to achieve an ultra-stable voltage reading when drawing energy from moisture — a major leap forward in its vision to develop this early-stage energy technology.

SOR made the breakthroughs thanks to material engineering and power management tweaks — initiatives that bore fruit with a 225% increase in power output.

A closer look

Interestingly, it’s unusual to demonstrate such a stable output voltage this early in the development of a new battery technology.

But why is a stable power source so important? In a nutshell, wearable devices employ highly sensitive electronic circuits, meaning they need to jump through extra durability hoops so they can perform reliably and without error.

According to SOR, the Energy Ink operates like no other form of energy generation available today.

Essentially, it works by harnessing water molecules in the air, absorbing them into a layer of nano-engineered ink. From here, ions separate and migrate from high to low concentration, creating an electrical current flow.

Energy Ink at work.

Unlike traditional batteries, the Energy Ink uses materials that are flexible, safe and non-flammable, ultra-thin and generate energy from moisture — a green, readily available source.

Potential to serve a global market

Early this year, SOR put its revitalised Energy Ink Technology to the test. It simulated the load of a leading Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) skin patch using two energy ink cells measuring 4 by 4 centimetres.

These measurements are key; experts expect demand for CGM devices to surge globally, and one of the most important manufacturing goals is to make the device as inconspicuous as possible.

Consumers are also looking for devices that provide more advanced sensing, keep costs low and are eco-friendly — all boxes that Energy Ink ticks.

A growing opportunity

At present, CGM patches (and their batteries) are replaced by the user every 10-14 days.

Worldwide, there are upwards of 7 million users; if we do the maths, there’s demand for more than 150 million patches annually.

These figures are behind rapid growth in the sector — for example, the leading CGM company posted $1.1 billion in sales during the fourth quarter of 2022 alone, representing a year-over-year jump of more than 40%.

The second-ranked company reported $815 million, up 17% year-over-year.

Of course, CGM patches are just one segment of the booming electronic skin patch market, which services the sports, health and bio-information markets. This burgeoning industry is expected to grow to a US$30 billion valuation by the next decade.

The hard work continues

While Energy Ink is still early in development, the team has moved from an initial concept to some encouraging breakthroughs.

While traditional batteries are constrained by set shapes and form factors, the Energy Ink module provides new creative freedom in design.

Consequently, the next phase of work will involve optimising the ink and printing capability of the cell structure so SOR can print batteries in alternative shapes and patterns.

The team will also fabricate smaller cell sizes and integrate them with a more customised power management module to test the lower limit in cell size for electronic skin patches, with results expected next quarter.

As previously announced, there are also broadening R&D pathways for larger-scale Energy Ink systems.

With this in mind, SOR has been investigating the potential to conduct larger-scale systems with multiple cells Energy Ink or significantly larger cell sizes. Further information will be released this quarter.

Read more on Proactive Investors AU

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