An innovative microbattery design for hearing aids has been selected as one of eight winning entries in Phase 1 of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Microbattery Design Prize competition. The design, featuring MXene materials, was developed by researchers from the Drexel Nanomaterials Institute.
According to the competition website, the prize aims to “advance innovative new designs for microbatteries and accelerate their commercialization and integration into existing technologies needed for clean energy manufacturing like sensors for improved smart manufacturing processes or for grid monitoring to help more renewable energy sources come onto the grid.” The competition is divided into two phases, with Phase 1 evaluating microbattery designs based on their application and ability to outperform currently available commercial options. Each Phase 1 winning team received a cash prize of $75,000 to continue developing their design.
The successful design, created by Distinguished University and Bach Professor Yury Gogotsi, PhD, research associate John Wang, and PhD students Sokhna Dieng, Alex Inman, and Kyle Matthews, features printed lithium-ion microbatteries for hearing aids. MXenes serve as a printed current collector and combination binder/conductive additive for the anode and cathode. This microbattery would be printed directly inside the hearing aid shell. The innovation could benefit over 1.5 billion people worldwide who experience hearing loss by enabling smaller, lighter hearing aid devices with faster charging times and longer battery life.
During Phase 2 of the competition, which concludes in November, teams have access to DOE national laboratories to test their design prototypes’ performance and safety. They will then submit technical data, business plans, techno-economic analyses, and any support letters from potential commercial partners. The Phase 2 winner will receive $300,000, with up to two runners-up receiving $175,000 each in cash.
