Apple Watch SE appears in a store in Krakow, Poland on April 20, 2024.
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Japanese electronics parts maker TDK said Monday it has successfully developed a material for its solid-state batteries, achieving a breakthrough it estimates could provide much higher performance for wearable devices.
Tokyo-based Apple supplier He said The material used in small solid-state batteries has an energy density of 1,000 watt-hours per liter (Wh/l), which is approximately 100 times the energy density of conventional solid-state batteries produced by TDK.
Energy density refers to the amount of energy stored in a region of space.
Solid-state batteries are seen as a potentially game-changing technology, because they can store more energy than lithium-ion batteries and charge faster.
TDK said that this innovation can be used in many devices that come into direct contact with the human body, including wireless earbuds, hearing aids and smart watches.
The batteries are expected to be produced with all-ceramic materials, with a solid oxide-based electrolyte and lithium alloy anodes.
The TDK logo is displayed on the company’s industry standard battery module at the Joint Advanced Technologies Exhibition (Catec) in Chiba, Japan, on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
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TDK said its goal is to use its technology to replace existing coin cell batteries, which are a small stainless steel disc that provides power to mobile devices, in compliance with EU battery regulations.
Some key features of the TDK technology include the use of solid oxide-based electrolytes, which the company says makes it “extremely safe.”
TDK says the battery’s smaller size and higher capacity, and the device’s ability to store electrical charge, means it could contribute to smaller devices and potentially provide longer runtime.
— CNBC’s Ganesh Rao contributed to this report.