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John O | March 2017

3-D printed liquid battery could cool future computer chip stacks


researchers from ibm zurich and eth zurich have 3-d printed a tiny redox flow battery, where an electrochemical reaction produces electricity from two liquid electrolytes that are pumped into the loop, which could be used to power and cool computer chip stacks at the same time, according to a report from the university.

 

eth_zurich_600

three-dimensional chip stacks could be used in computers in the future. integrated microscale flow batteries
could both power and cool them. (image: courtesy ibm research zurich)

 

the batteries are only 1.5 mm thick and could be layered with computer chips to form a stack that can both produce electricity to power the chips and also cool the stack to ensure reliability. this is the first time that a flow battery was built that could provide both the power and the cooling.

 

according to the article, “the output of the new micro-battery also reaches a record-high in terms of its size: 1.4 watts per square centimetre of battery surface. even if you subtract the power required to pump the liquid electrolytes to the battery, the resulting net power density is still 1 watt per square centimetre.”

 

the electrolytes were proven to dissipate heat amounts far exceeding the electrical energy generated by the battery (which converts to heat when the chips are in use).

 

the researchers used 3-d printing technology to build the flow batteries so that the electrolytes were supplied as efficiently as possible while also keeping the pumping power as low as possible. using 3-d printing, the scientists created polymer channels that pressed the electrolyte into the porous electrode layer.

 

“the most suitable of the various designs tested proved to be one made of wedge-shaped convergent channels,” the article stated.

 

researchers will now seek to optimize the battery to provide the necessary power to meet the demands of a chip stack. in addition, the scientists believe that this technology could be applied to laser cooling and to energy storage.

 

the research was published in energy & environmental science. the abstract stated:

 

“the miniaturization of redox flow cells (rfcs) paves the way to novel energy conversion concepts combining power delivery and heat regulation. envisioning the integration of high-power-density rfcs into electronic devices such as microprocessors, lasers, or light-emitting diodes for the purpose of providing power and heat management simultaneously, we introduce and investigate interdigitated, tapered multiple-pass microfluidic networks in miniaturized flow cells.

 

“employing 3d-printing for the facile and inexpensive fabrication of these networks, we demonstrate rfcs with maximum power densities of up to 1.4 w cm−2 at room temperature and net power densities of up to 0.99 w cm−2 after subtracting pumping power losses. the electrolytes employed modest concentrations of 0.4 m k4fe(cn)6 and 0.2 m 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone in alkaline electrolyte.

 

“we thereby show that rational tailoring of fluidic networks in rfcs is key for the development of devices effectively combining power delivery and thermal management.”

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