Ultra-thin sealed lead-acid batteries

Abstract

The structure and performance of the world's first ultra-thin sealed lead-acid batteries are described. The batteries are 0.65 mm thick, the thinnest ever achieved, and are made possible by a new electrode structure. In a conventional battery, the separator is sandwiched between the positive and negative electrodes. In the new battery structure, however, the positive electrode, electrolyte, and negative electrode are arranged on the same plane. Movement of the battery reaction sites during charge/discharge is parallel to the main surface of the electrode. Consequently, the new battery structure offers significant advantages in regard to life performance. Batteries utilizing this new structure have a long life of over 400 cycles, and good performance of the charge/discharge characteristics. In addition, a variety of different batteries can be manufactured using screen patterns. By using the techniques described above, the thickness of a sealed lead-acid battery can be reduced to less than one seventh of that of a conventional one, without performance degradation.<>