Ge Zhang, Sungyun Yang, Jing Fan Yang, David Gonzalez-Medrano, Marc Z. Miskin, Volodymyr B. Koman, Yuwen Zeng, Sylvia Xin Li, Matthias Kuehne, Albert Tianxiang Liu, Allan M. Brooks, Mahesh Kumar, Michael S. Strano
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The recent interest in microscopic autonomous systems, including microrobots, colloidal state machines, and smart dust, has created a need for microscale energy storage and harvesting. However, macroscopic materials for energy storage have noted incompatibilities with microfabrication techniques, creating substantial challenges to realizing microscale energy systems. Here, we photolithographically patterned a microscale zinc/platinum/SU-8 system to generate the highest energy density microbattery at the picoliter (10−12 liter) scale. The device scavenges ambient or solution-dissolved oxygen for a zinc oxidation reaction, achieving an energy density ranging from 760 to 1070 watt-hours per liter at scales below 100 micrometers lateral and 2 micrometers thickness in size. The parallel nature of photolithography processes allows 10,000 devices per wafer to be released into solution as colloids with energy stored on board. Within a volume of only 2 picoliters each, these primary microbatteries can deliver open circuit voltages of 1.05 ± 0.12 volts, with total energies ranging from 5.5 ± 0.3 to 7.7 ± 1.0 microjoules and a maximum power near 2.7 nanowatts. We demonstrated that such systems can reliably power a micrometer-sized memristor circuit, providing access to nonvolatile memory. We also cycled power to drive the reversible bending of microscale bimorph actuators at 0.05 hertz for mechanical functions of colloidal robots. Additional capabilities, such as powering two distinct nanosensor types and a clock circuit, were also demonstrated. The high energy density, low volume, and simple configuration promise the mass fabrication and adoption of such picoliter zinc-air batteries for micrometer-scale, colloidal robotics with autonomous functions.
期刊介绍:
Science Robotics publishes original, peer-reviewed, science- or engineering-based research articles that advance the field of robotics. The journal also features editor-commissioned Reviews. An international team of academic editors holds Science Robotics articles to the same high-quality standard that is the hallmark of the Science family of journals.
Sub-topics include: actuators, advanced materials, artificial Intelligence, autonomous vehicles, bio-inspired design, exoskeletons, fabrication, field robotics, human-robot interaction, humanoids, industrial robotics, kinematics, machine learning, material science, medical technology, motion planning and control, micro- and nano-robotics, multi-robot control, sensors, service robotics, social and ethical issues, soft robotics, and space, planetary and undersea exploration.