It is no exaggeration to say that as we enter the IoT era—where almost everything is connected to the Internet—high battery performance is essential, in addition to compactness and improved communication capabilities, for various smart devices to become even more prevalent.
As lithium-ion batteries made with flammable, organic-solvent electrolytes carry the risk of leakage and fire, there has been an increasing demand from IoT device makers for the development of safer and more reliable solid-state batteries containing stable electrolyte material. The battery market is expected to grow further, as large-capacity batteries like those in EVs are also expected to be replaced by solid-state batteries in the future.
TDK has unveiled a revolutionary solid-state battery called CeraCharge, boasting a game-changing energy density of 1,000 Wh/L. This marks a 100x improvement over TDK’s existing small-scale solid-state batteries and surpasses the typical 50 Wh/L of competitor offerings. Even compared to traditional liquid-based batteries in electric vehicles (around 400 Wh/L), CeraCharge demonstrates a significant leap forward.
CeraCharge’s success lies in its unique composition: a lithium alloy anode and an oxide-based solid electrolyte. This combination delivers several key benefits over conventional batteries:
- Enhanced Safety: Solid-state design eliminates the risk of liquid electrolyte leakage, a major safety concern with traditional lithium-ion batteries.
- Reduced Weight: The elimination of liquid components translates to lighter batteries, ideal for wearables and portable devices.
- Faster Charging: CeraCharge promises faster charging times, improving use convenience.
The use of ceramic materials makes it unsuitable for larger devices like smartphones and electric vehicles. TDK acknowledges this and emphasizes CeraCharge’s suitability for smaller electronics like wireless earbuds, smartwatches, and potentially wearable health devices.
The potential impact on wearables is immense. Integrating CeraCharge into an Apple Watch, for instance, could lead to dramatically extended battery life, even without considering possible size reductions from enhanced battery efficiency.The user experience would be transformed, with significantly longer operating times between charges.
CeraCharge remains in the early stages of development. TDK anticipates providing sample prototypes to clients in 2025, paving the way for mass production. While challenges like scalability exist, this technology holds immense promise for the future of wearables and portable electronics.