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The increasingly wide range of small devices that consume stored electrical energy, has placed additional demands for secondary batteries which have improved power/energy, while retaining long cycle life. An additional facet to the demands are an increasingly blurred distinction between batteries and the devices that use them. This is especially true of emerging microelectonics, particularly those which are intended to be autonomous; i.e. those which have their own power supply. Batteries must have minimal volume, while being able to deliver pulses of power that can last from ms – seconds. Additionally, they must often absorb recharge at high rates. Electrode and cell designs must be altered, to minimize cell degradation under the strenuous demands of miniature electronics. We report design concepts for accomplishing these goals, and the factors which affect the life of two types of battery designs under pulsed charge and discharge.

A concept is presented for remote, autonomous sensors, which includes an on-board power supply, signal transmission, a sensing element, and a controller. Sensors can be deployed without direct connection for either signal transmission or energy supply. The power supply can be used to power many types of remote sensors, and includes microscopic batteries, an energy converter, and a simple charger. The batteries combine high power density (W/cm2) and sufficient capacity to power sensors for extended periods of time without recharge.