Instead, an electrolyte tray was 3D printed. The tray can be filled with lemon juice (either hand-squeezed or straight from a bottle) and the tray has fixtures to hold copper pennies and zinc ...

Like other 3D printing, it also saves materials, since only the precise amount of that’s needed is used. “We’re able to use about 40% less material,” Bagheri says.

But while 3D-printed battery electrodes may beat traditional ones in energy density and charging speed, they still aren’t practical enough for commercial use, he said.

Using a 3D printer, researchers have, for the first time, forged a flexible, ... 3D-printed, flexible, wearable battery could be a phone’s lifesaver. by Colm Gorey. 24 Oct 2017.