Ilika Plc (LON: IKA), a pioneer in solid-state battery technology, announces the launch of Stereax® M50 mm-scale solid-state batteries designed for medical implants. The Stereax M50 takes solid-state batteries to a new level of miniaturisation enabling medical device innovations that have previously been limited by the available battery technology.
Graeme Purdy, CEO, Ilika said: “The Stereax product family continues to grow, addressing a wide range of end applications. Medical applications are some of the most demanding environments for battery technology. The Stereax M50 is a smaller, safer and longer lasting battery, opening up the opportunities of life enhancing medical devices.”
Mike Nagy, Chief Technology Officer of Endotronix, which develops Hemodynamic Monitoring Solutions where Ilika’s technology could be applied, said: “The implantable medical device industry has a growing need for miniaturised, long-life power sources to enable wireless data transfer from increasingly sophisticated devices that are improving patients’ lives.”
The ‘MedTech’ space is one of the most challenging environments for battery technologies. Batteries need to be small enough to be unobtrusive, enabling implantable devices to be charged in a way that does not restrict a patient, and have a long a life-span as possible, avoiding the risks associated with repeated surgical procedures. They also need to be biocompatible so that they do not pose a risk to the patient. Each device application may require different capacities and form factors, which can now be accommodated with the customisable battery sizes and shapes enabled by the Stereax M50. Innovation in applications that require injection into the blood stream, monitoring heart rhythm or attachment onto the peripheral nervous system for neurostimulation can be enabled with this technology. These batteries enable self-sustaining power sources that do not need to be changed regularly or use inconvenient cabling.
Relative to standard lithium ion batteries, Stereax M50 solid-state batteries have longer life spans of up to 10 years (up to 5x longer) and lower leakage currents (10x smaller), making them suitable for low power wireless charging. They can also be integrated with other electronic components enabling the end medical device to be kept as small as possible. Stereax M50 yields leading edge energy density with 50% extra density compared to other commercially available solid-state batteries.
