Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1098973
64 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2019 Feature Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Tracy Liu is the director of R&D of the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) in Hong Kong. At CES 2019, Liu discussed a number of battery and pressure sensor tech- nologies being developed by the NAMI for licensing. A few technologies in particular also received CES Innovation Awards. Nolan Johnson: Tracy, as the director of R&D for the NAMI in Hong Kong, you came to CES 2019 with some award-winning technologies and applications. Can you tell me a little bit about what you're doing? Tracy Liu: At the NAMI, we do market-driven applied research, unlike what the university is doing, which is fundamental research. This year, we brought five technologies to showcase at CES. The first one is the printed primary battery. The key point is that we print all of the components of these batteries from the current collector to the electrolytes, electrode materials, and the whole package. This is a cost-effective and high-performance, paper- like battery. The key point is that this battery can offer a very high current output, which can support some very advanced IoT commu - nication functions. Johnson: So, at the risk of showing my igno- rance, what are you printing the battery on? Liu: We printed the battery on plastic substrates such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PI (polyimide), or anything that was plastic or flexible—even on a piece of paper. Johnson: Very interesting. Is it printable on older technologies like FR-4? Liu: It is. The battery can be printed on the substrate such as FR-4. However, the amaz- ing point is that we can make the battery very flexible, so a flexible substrate should be more suitable for our batteries. Johnson: That's very interesting and useful technology on any substrate. Liu: Even on woven fabric or clothes. Johnson: Is this something that is ready for the market now? Innovative Battery and Pressure Sensor Technologies Traci Liu's battery sensors can be manufactured on a variety of flex substrates, and in a number of sizes and densities.