The potential for 3D printing continues to grow and expand. Today it was announced that the researchers from Harvard and the University of Illinois may have produced a 3D-printed battery smaller than a grain of sand. The amazingly small powersource has areal energy and power densities comparable to that of your typical smart phone battery.
To achieve this marvel the team used a customized 3D printer with a 1mm wide nozzle to deposit two separate lithium metal oxide pastes into comb-like shapes, which then hardened to create an anode and cathode. The practical applications for a battery this small are incalculable. We may see fly size drones, wearable electronics (rings, bracelets, etc.)