Laser-printed batteries could become the new standard as lithium-ion and other options fade out. Over the last decade, the average person’s energy consumption has increased. Long gone are the days of wires tethering people to their power. Today, wireless is the norm. As such, there’s a strong reliance on batteries, but they can’t support the demand. Here’s what you need to know.
Lithium-Ion Batteries: Strengths and Growing Limitations
When it comes to battery power, lithium-ion batteries are the most widely used option. These units power everything from personal electronics to EVs and everything in between. This type of battery gained popularity due to its higher energy density, efficiency, and longer cycle life. The current estimated life of a Lithium-Ion battery is 300 to 500 charge cycles.
Challenges Facing Lithium-Ion Battery Technology
While lithium-ion batteries did make major improvements on early versions, they still have some drawbacks that continue to limit their effectiveness. For one, they are very temperature sensitive, meaning that thermal runaway is a major concern.
What is Thermal Runaway in Lithium-Ion Batteries?
Thermal runaway occurs when a lithium-ion battery gets exposed to prolonged heat. High temperatures can cause its components to explode, resulting in damage and, in worst-case scenarios, injury and death.
Lithium-ion batteries also suffer from lower performance in cold temperatures. Tests have shown that these barriers can lose as much as 25% of their performance when operating in cold environments. As such, lithium-ion batteries are not ideal for extreme conditions.
Environmental Risks of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Another major issue with lithium-ion batteries is their environmental risks. Currently, there’s no way to efficiently recycle these batteries. As such, they continue to pile up in landfills. Sadly, Lithium can be harmful if ingested or absorbed by the environment and then introduced into the food chain.
High Manufacturing Costs and Resource Needs for Lithium-Ion Batteries
The cost of creating lithium-ion batteries is another issue that continues to limit their adoption. These batteries require a massive amount of resources. Their manufacturing process is energy-hungry.
When you combine these factors with the inability to recycle the units, it’s easy to see why the use of lithium-ion batteries is simply a temporary stopping point for the industry.
Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: A Promising Alternative to Lithium-Ion
Recognizing the limitations that lithium-ion batteries bring to the market, engineers have been exploring other options. One such option that continues to attract attention is lithium-sulfur batteries. These batteries can outperform lithium-ion alternatives and offer additional benefits like a more sustainable life cycle.
Manufacturing Challenges in Lithium-Sulfur Battery Production
Lithium sulfur batteries improve performance, but their manufacturing process is still very difficult and requires a lot of energy. Additionally, the preparation of the sulfur cathodes is a complex process. It requires engineers to work in varying temperatures and conditions.
The main reason for the added delays and complications is that the manufacturing processes of a cathode/anode in a lithium-sulfur battery usually require the synthesis of active materials. This step can include many additional tasks, such as preparing a precise mixture of materials, all adding to the overall costs.
HKUST’s Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Battery Breakthrough
Now, a team of researchers from the prestigious Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has introduced a laser-printed lithium-sulfur battery design that considerably simplifies the fabrication of lithium-sulfur batteries, opening the door for next-gen power resources.
The study1 Single-step laser-printed integrated sulfur cathode toward high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries, published in Nature Communications, introduces a single-step laser printing process capable of fabricating integrated sulfur cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries.
- Source – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The new process integrates sulfur host synthesis, sulfur encapsulation, and cathode fabrication into a single approach that leverages an advanced 3D printer and materials. The laser printing technique utilizes induction conversion to combine multiple steps into a nanosecond process that can be scaled up to meet future demands.
How Laser Printing Simplifies Lithium-Sulfur Battery Manufacturing
The laser printing battery process begins with the nanosecond-scale laser-induced conversion step. This step includes precursors that are designed to create an evenly distributed composite layer. This layer effectively combines sulfur, host materials, and conductive components via a complex transient heating and cooling process.
Concentrated Thermal Process Behind Laser Battery Printing
When the laser activates, it causes the sulfur to bond with the generated host materials and conductive components. This step produces jetting particles that enter in-situ synthesized halloysite-based hybrid nanotubes.
Role of Carbon Nanotubes in Laser-Printed Batteries
The synthesized halloysite-based hybrid nanotubes function because, during the laser radiation, manganous nitrate in the donor decomposes. This process converts the mixture into manganese oxide nanoparticles, which are then evenly distributed on the walls of halloysite nanotubes.
The newly formed homogeneous manganese oxide–doped halloysite nanotubes (MnOx-Hal) act as the structural support for the sulfur while enhancing electrolyte infiltration during battery operation. Notably, the MnOx-Hal tubes have excellent heat resistance, making them the ideal selection for the task.
Active Material Synthesis Using Laser Printing
The laser irradiation process causes the precursor materials to decompose and recombine to form new materials. This mixture is then applied to a carbon fabric acceptor via a 3D printer. Notably, the carbon fabric acceptor serves multiple roles. For one, it initiates the micro-explosions that facilitate the jetting and transferring of forming particles within the process.
How Carbon Fabric Acceptors Enable Battery Printing
The carbon fabric acceptor allows laser-activated particles to be expelled from the donor under a laser-induced micro-explosion. This action quickly transfers the material onto the carbon fabric acceptor, forming an integrated sulfur cathode.
Testing Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
The engineers conducted several tests to confirm the performance and capabilities of laser-printed batteries. The first step was to build an automatic laser printing system. The system consists of an advanced laser scribing machine, a robotic arm displacement system, and software to guide the automatic laser printing process.
Specifically, the engineers set the printing speed to a maximum of 2 cm2/minute using a single-beam laser. They noted that a 75 × 45 mm2 sulfur cathode can be printed within 20 minutes using this process. Considering the previous methods took days, this step marked a major milestone.
From there, the engineers combined the lithium sulfur cells within a pouch and attached them to an LCD. The pouch successfully powered an LCD for several hours while engineers conducted additional tests using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis to monitor separated nanotube samples.
Results from Testing Laser-Printed Sulfur Cathodes
The laser-printed sulfur cathodes demonstrated high performance compared to lithium-ion counterparts. Notably, the devices could operate in both coin and punch layouts. Also, they showed superior life expectancy.
Cycling Test Results for Laser-Printed Batteries
The team conducted a 1000-cycle charging-discharging at 1C. The tests revealed that the cathode remained in superior condition. Also, the units exhibited high reversible capacity and low capacity attenuation during the experimental phases.
The engineers determined that scalable and efficient sulfur cathode fabrication was possible using laser printing aided by the automatic displacement system. This system was able to successfully apply the sulfur-based mixture onto the carbon fabric with minimal costs and time.
Benefits of Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
There are many benefits that this study brings to the industry. For one, the laser printing battery process is easy to integrate. 3D printing is seen by many as a drop-on-demand process that can be introduced to a variety of manufacturing actions without the need to reconfigure the entire protocol.
How Laser Printing Speeds Up Battery Manufacturing
The 3D printing laser battery manufacturing process takes multiple steps and combines them into a nanosecond task. This capability allows the manufacturer to save money and time. Additionally, it means that their facility can produce more batteries with less energy and effort.
Why Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Perform Better
Better batteries are needed to create next year’s smartphones, tablets, watches, and other high-end electronics. This study demonstrates how lithium sulfur batteries can outperform the competition in both performance and production.
Safety Advantages of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Over Lithium-Ion
Lithium-ion batteries keep catching on fire due to thermal overloading. Notably, lithium-sulfur batteries still exhibit degraded performance when overheated, but they do not pose the same level of risk of explosion or fire, making them a safer alternative.
Limitations of Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Battery Technology
There are some drawbacks that the laser-printed cathodes suffer from. For one, the manufacturing process requires a lot of precision. Since there are only short and concentrated thermal processes generated by laser irradiation, the window of error is minuscule.
Engineers also noted that the thermal irradiation process can rely on fabricated host materials that consist of complex crystal structures. They recorded that crystal structures are counterproductive to the performance of these units.
Additionally, lithium sulfur batteries do have some thermal runaway concerns. While these issues are far less than the exploding lithium-ion batteries that continue to dominate the headlines, they still decrease the total capacity in the cathode.
Real-World Applications and Market Timeline for Laser-Printed Batteries
There are many real-world applications for laser-printed lithium sulfur batteries. These devices could be used to power everything from your cell phone to your car and beyond. Anything that has batteries in it today may one day get a lithium sulfur upgrade.
When Will Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Reach the Market?
The race to create more effective batteries has led to manufacturers getting creative. This latest development will see strong support from manufacturers who will attempt to get this new design to the market. If all goes well, it is reasonable to envision this tech hitting the market within the next 5 years.
HKUST Researchers Behind the Laser-Printed Battery Breakthrough
Research for the laser-printed batteries study was led by a member of the Division of Integrative Systems and Design at HKUST, Dr. YANG Rongliang. Additionally, Prof. Mitch LI Guijun is listed as a co-author on the study alongside a team of engineers from varying educational institutions. Notably, the study received financial support from the Hong Kong Innovation Technology Commission.
Future Prospects for Laser-Printed Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
The future of laser-printed batteries looks bright. The engineers aim to improve and scale up their processes to meet the substantial industrial demand for these devices. As part of this approach, the team will make strategic partnerships to lower the manufacturing costs and help get their product to market.
Investing in Next-Gen Battery Technologies
The battery sector is a competitive industry that continues to see innovative approaches to the world’s energy needs. Several companies are working on the creation and production of new-age battery technology. Here is one company that is ideally positioned to leverage the data in this study to improve its product results.
Enovix (ENVX +1.02%) entered the market in 2007 and is headquartered in California. This advanced battery manufacturer entered the market to push lithium-ion battery technology to new heights.
Enovix is seen by many as an innovative force in the market due to its work with silicon cathodes. The company has been able to effectively double lithium-ion battery capacity by replacing graphene with silicon in its designs.
Enovix Corporation (ENVX +1.02%)
Today, Enovix has multiple manufacturing facilities located across the globe, including factories in Malaysia, Manila, and California. These factors, plus the growing demand for lithium-ion upgrades, place Enovix in a prime position for growth. Those seeking an out-of-the-box-minded battery manufacturer should do more research on Enovix.
Latest on Enovix
How Laser-Printed Batteries Could Revolutionize Energy Storage
Laser-printed batteries are a game changer that will help to lower costs while increasing performance. As the world continues to go wireless, the need for better batteries is sure to increase. As such, this study could pave the way for future innovations and contribute to creating a more sustainable future.
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Studies Referenced:
1. Yang, R., Chen, Y., Pan, Y., Kim, M., Liu, H., Lee, C. K. W., Huang, Y., Tang, A., Tu, F., Li, T., & Li, M. G. (2025). Single-step laser-printed integrated sulfur cathode toward high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries. Nature Communications, 16, Article 2386. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57755-0