of rechargeable batteries.

的可充電電池。

It promises more power, better safety, faster charging,

它承諾提供更多的電力，更好的安全性，更快的充電。

and a longer lifespan.

和更長的壽命。

And, in theory, could be any shape you want it to be.

而且，在理論上，可以是你想要的任何形狀。

Private companies and research labs are racing

私營公司和研究實驗室正在爭相

to crack the code for a battery

破解電池的密碼

that could someday replace these,

有朝一日可以取代這些。

the ever-present lithium ion.

永遠存在的鋰離子。

And one company is taking it a step further

而有一家公司正在將其進一步擴大

and wants to change our idea

並想改變我們的想法

of what a battery can even look like by 3D printing them.

的電池甚至可以通過3D打印它們的樣子。

Let's take a step back and explain what a battery is.

讓我們退一步，解釋一下什麼是電池。

A typical battery works

一個典型的電池工作

by converting chemical energy into electricity.

通過將化學能轉換為電能。

We need a positive end, or cathode.

我們需要一個正極，即陰極。

In this case, a zinc-coated nail.

在這種情況下，一個鍍鋅的釘子。

And a negative end, or anode,

還有一個負極，即陽極。

which is our copper penny.

這就是我們的銅錢。

We also need something to connect these two

我們還需要一些東西來連接這兩個

called the electrolyte.

稱為電解質。

That's where our potato comes in.

這就是我們的洋芋的作用。

I'm just gonna do one in here. One in here.

我只是要在這裡做一個。一個在這裡。

Each end reacts chemically with the potato

每一端都與馬鈴薯發生化學反應

and the anode actually releases electrons

而陽極實際上釋放了電子

which travel along this wire back to the cathode.

沿著這根線回到陰極。

This flow of electrons is actually what's converting

這種電子的流動實際上是在轉換

that chemical reaction into electricity.

該化學反應轉化為電力。

Now that didn't really do anything, as you can see.

現在，正如你所看到的，這並沒有真正起到任何作用。

But if we add a few more potatoes,

但如果我們再加幾個洋芋。

we'll probably get this light to work.

我們可能會讓這個燈工作。

Thank you.

謝謝你。

These clips are so hard.

這些夾子太難了。

And now... Lights, please.

而現在...請開燈。

Hey, that was pretty good.

嘿，那是相當不錯的。

So that's the foundation of any chemical battery.

所以這就是任何化學電池的基礎。

Lithium ion batteries are some

鋰離子電池是一些

of the most successful versions of this.

的最成功版本。

But there's room for improvement

但仍有改進的餘地

and startups are adjusting two key elements of the design,

和初創企業正在調整設計的兩個關鍵元素。

the electrolyte and the anode.

電解液和陽極。

- Most batteries today,

- 今天的大多數電池。

pretty much every battery you will buy,

幾乎所有你將購買的電池。

has a liquid electrolyte in it.

裡面有液體電解質。

- We actually call them lithium ion batteries

- 我們實際上稱它們為鋰離子電池

because the electrolyte is full of lithium ions

因為電解質中充滿了鋰離子

moving the charge around.

將炸藥搬來搬去。

Liquid electrolytes are great conductors.

液體電解質是偉大的導體。

But they're volatile, particularly when damaged

但它們是不穩定的，特別是在損壞時

or at high temperatures.

或在高溫下。

And if you watch the news,

而如果你看新聞。

you've probably seen reports on incidents like this.

你可能已經看到了關於這類事件的報道。

- [Announcer] Her phone caught fire.

- [播音員]她的手機著火了。

- [News Anchor] Model S Plaid burst into flames

- [新聞主播]Model S格子車爆燃了

earlier this week.

本週早些時候。

- May have sparked a fire at a local recycling plant

- 可能引發了當地一家回收廠的火災

is something that's plaguing those centers

是困擾這些中心的事情。

across the country.

在全國範圍內。

- We get it. There's a safety issue.

- 我們明白了。有一個安全問題。

One solution is to use a more stable, non-flammable

一個解決方案是使用更穩定、不易燃的

solid material instead.

實體材料代替。

Right now, lots of companies

現在，很多公司

building these solid-state batteries are experimenting

建造這些固態電池的公司正在進行實驗

with electrolytes made from all sorts of materials

用各種材料製成的電解質

like ceramics, glasses, and polymers.

如陶瓷、玻璃和聚合物。

The other big upgrade is finding a more powerful material

另一個大的升級是找到一個更強大的材料

to use for your anode.

用於你的陽極。

Your regular old lithium ion batteries use graphite

你的普通舊鋰離子電池使用石墨

which already works pretty well.

這已經是很好的工作了。

But there is a more powerful candidate out there.

但是有一個更強大的候選人在那裡。

- The holy grail for battery anodes

- 電池陽極的 "聖盃"。

has been lithium metal.

一直是金屬鋰。

And that's not lost on people.

而這一點人們並不陌生。

- So lithium metal has a higher capacity

- 所以金屬鋰有更高的容量

than other anodes like silicon or graphite,

比其他陽極（如硅或石墨）更有優勢。

but it's hard to work with.

但很難用它來工作。

It tends to form these little microscopic structures

它傾向於形成這些小的微觀結構

called dendrites that can short the battery.

稱為樹突，可以使電池短路。

That's been a big problem for liquid electrolytes.

這一直是液體電解質的一個大問題。

But using a solid material could improve things.

但使用固體材料可以改善情況。

- The way I think about dendrites is like the roots

- 我對樹突的思考方式就像根部一樣

of a tree system.

樹木系統的。

So the roots are growing.

是以，根系正在生長。

You wanna stop the roots from, you know,

你想阻止根部，你知道。

kind of coming into your house.

樣進入你的房子。

So what do you do?

那麼你是怎麼做的？

You put a concrete wall or something really hard,

你放一堵混凝土牆或非常堅硬的東西。

so mechanically stopping.

所以機械地停了下來。

- So a good solid electrolyte can stand up

- 是以，一個好的固體電解質可以經受住

to those little dendrites

對那些小樹突

and still allow for the easy flow of ions back and forth.

並且仍然允許離子輕鬆地來回流動。

(upbeat music)

(歡快的音樂)

Over the past few years,

在過去的幾年裡。

there's been a lot of improvement in these new materials.

這些新材料有了很大的改進。

Today, leading startups are looking

今天，領先的初創企業正在尋找

to get their pilot batteries out of the lab

讓他們的試驗電池走出實驗室

and into a factory.

並進入一家工廠。

And one California-based company, Sakuu,

還有一家位於加州的公司，Sakuu。

is taking an even bigger swing.

正在進行更大的擺動。

They're designing solid-state batteries

他們正在設計固態電池

with lithium metal anodes,

帶鋰金屬陽極。

and they want to 3D print them.

而且他們想3D打印它們。

- The only way to go into this direction

- 進入這個方向的唯一方法是

of having more sustainable, safer, superior batteries

擁有更可持續、更安全、更優質的電池

is to, at some point in time,

是的，在某個時間點上。

challenge the manufacturing process.

對製造過程提出挑戰。

- [Lizzie] So most batteries today are made

- [Lizzie]所以今天的大多數電池是由

with a process called roll-to-roll manufacturing.

用一種叫做卷對卷製造的工藝。

The materials are rolled out in long sheets

這些材料被捲成長條形

and then cut down for individual battery layers.

然後為單個電池層切下。

3D printing, on the other hand,

另一方面，3D打印。

could let Sakuu cram more layers

可以讓Sakuu塞進更多層次

into the same amount of space,

進入相同數量的空間。

improving the overall capacity of the battery.

提高電池的整體容量。

- [Arwed] So it's not like today

- [Arwed]所以它不像今天這樣

where you have them in a pouch

在你把它們放在一個袋子裡的地方

and the battery is just inside, the layers are inside,

而電池就在裡面，各層都在裡面。

it has to be sealed.

它必須是密封的。

But in the printer with a Sakuu Kavian platform,

但在打印機中，有一個Sakuu Kavian平臺。

our printer platform, we can create these batteries

我們的打印機平臺，我們可以創建這些電池

right in the printer and this is how they look like.

這就是他們看起來的樣子。

- [Lizzie] It's how Sakuu hopes to outcompete

- [Lizzie]這是Sakuu希望能夠超越競爭的方式。

other solid-state startups and lithium ion makers

其他固態初創企業和鋰離子製造商

who are sticking with roll-to-roll.

堅持使用卷對卷的人。

- So it really takes the combination

- 是以，它真的需要結合

of the good battery design

良好的電池設計

and the superior manufacturing technology.

和卓越的製造技術。

Staying with roll-to-roll

繼續保持卷對卷

for sure would not enable us

肯定不會使我們

to even have higher energy densities than anybody else.

以至於比任何人都有更高的能量密度。

- Okay, a big caveat to all of this.

- 好吧，對這一切有一個很大的警告。

Sakuu has 3D printed solid-state batteries in their lab,

Sakuu在他們的實驗室裡已經3D打印了固態電池。

but has not yet fully printed a battery

但還沒有完全打印出一個電池

using their prototype.

使用他們的原型。

In fact, we couldn't even film

事實上，我們甚至無法拍攝

the 3D printer prototype itself.

3D打印機原型本身。

Sakuu says that's because there's just too much

Sakuu說，這是因為有太多的東西了。

proprietary stuff going on that they're not ready

他們還沒有準備好的專有的東西。

to reveal to the public yet.

還沒有向公眾透露。

They actually have this prototype built,

他們實際上已經建造了這個原型。

they're doing tests,

他們正在做測試。

and they're trying to figure out

而他們正試圖弄清楚

how to make the best battery

如何製作最好的電池

using this manufacturing process.

使用這種製造工藝。

What we're about to show you

我們將向你展示的內容

is actually the 3D printed model of that 3D printer.

實際上是該3D打印機的3D打印模型。

Meta, I know

梅塔，我知道

- [Arwed] This platform can use several, too.

- [Arwed]這個平臺也可以用幾個。

So it can print metals, it can print ceramics,

所以它可以打印金屬，可以打印陶瓷。

and it can print polymers.

而且它可以打印聚合物。

And it's printing those layer by layer

而且它正在逐層打印這些東西

and that's the key aspect to make it faster.

而這是使其更快的關鍵方面。

- [Lizzie] How fast? Well, we're not exactly sure yet.

- [Lizzie]多快？嗯，我們還不完全確定。

Sakuu hopes that one day each machine would be able

Sakuu希望有一天，每臺機器都能夠

to produce 40 megawatt hours of energy storage annually.

以便每年生產40兆瓦時的能源儲存。

In normal terms, that's about the same

在正常情況下，這大約是相同的

as 500 electric car batteries per year.

如每年500個電動汽車電池。

But this prototype works differently

但這個原型的工作方式不同

than your conventional 3D printer.

比你的傳統3D打印機。

Usually a printer deposits a layer of material,

通常情況下，打印機會沉積一層材料。

waits for it to solidify, and then adds the next layer.

等待它凝固，然後再添加下一層。

Here, each layer gets printed

在這裡，每一層都被打印出來

and is quality controlled simultaneously.

並同時進行品質控制。

Excess material can be recycled within the system.

多餘的材料可以在系統內循環使用。

The layers are stacked tightly together at the very end

層層疊加，最後緊緊相連

and out pops a battery.

然後彈出一個電池。

But the most surprising perk of this process isn't power

但這個過程中最令人驚訝的好處並不是權力

or safety or cost.

或安全或成本。

It's really about form factor.

這其實是關於外形因素。

Look at these batteries.

看看這些電池。

They're mostly rectangular or cylindrical.

它們大多是長方形或圓柱形。

That's because it's hard when using roll-to-roll

這是因為在使用卷對卷時很難做到。

to actually make different shapes.

以實際做出不同的形狀。

It would require new tools, more waste,

這將需要新的工具，更多的浪費。

and probably a higher price tag.

而且可能有更高的價格標籤。

3D printing could be much more flexible.

3D打印可以更加靈活。

- Look at this in the future,

- 在未來看這個問題。

you will see batteries which actually become a part,

你會看到電池實際上成為一個部分。

an integral part of a product.

是產品的一個組成部分。

For example, if you look at AR/VR glasses,

例如，如果你看一下AR/VR眼鏡。

the temple arm of the glasses could be a printed battery.

眼鏡的太陽穴臂可能是一個印刷電池。

Or you look at a a cell phone

或者你看一下手機

where maybe the case of the cell phone

也許在手機的情況下

is actually a battery.

實際上是一個電池。

- [Lizzie] So the battery isn't just more powerful itself.

- [Lizzie]所以電池不只是本身更強大。

It can also fill in dead space,

它還可以填補死角。

maximizing its footprint in a product,

使其在產品中的足跡最大化。

and boosting power that way too.

並以這種方式提高功率。

You wouldn't have to necessarily design a product

你不一定要設計一個產品

around a battery.

圍繞一個電池。

You could design the battery around your product.

你可以圍繞你的產品設計電池。

And this is obviously not the real printer.

而這顯然不是真正的打印機。

So what's the like footprint of one of these?

那麼，這些東西的佔地面積有多大？

- [Arwed] For this first one,

- [Arwed]對於這第一個。

the footprint is around 10 meters long.

佔地面積約為10米長。

This is now our first prototype, right?

這就是我們現在的第一個原型，對嗎？

- [Lizzie] Total reinvention is obviously risky.

- [Lizzie]完全重塑顯然是有風險的。

The company claims that their process

該公司聲稱，他們的工藝

could reduce manufacturing costs,

可以降低製造成本。

but they wouldn't share the actual price tag

但他們不會分享實際的價格標籤

of the printer with us.

的打印機與我們。

On top of that,

在此基礎上。

you're introducing a new manufacturing process

你正在引入一個新的製造工藝

to an established industry,

到一個成熟的行業。

and that's always gonna be a challenge.

而這始終會是一個挑戰。

And they're not the only ones taking this approach.

而且他們並不是唯一採取這種做法的人。

Other companies like Blackstone Resources

其他像黑石資源的公司

and Photocentric are also working on 3D printed batteries.

和Photocentric也在研究3D打印電池。

While all this R&D has been happening,

當所有這些研發都在進行時。

lithium ion batteries are just getting cheaper

鋰離子電池正變得越來越便宜

and more powerful.

和更強大。

That's really tough to compete with.

這真的很難與之競爭。

Sakuu is currently building out its first factory

Sakuu目前正在建設其第一家工廠

and hopes to get sample batteries out to their clients

並希望將電池樣品發給他們的客戶

in 2023.

在2023年。

- So this facility will only host

- 是以，這個設施將只接待

our own battery manufacturing,

我們自己的電池製造。

which is, of course, needed to prove the process

當然，這也是需要證明的過程

to show everybody that our technology works successfully.

以向所有人展示我們的技術成功地運作。

- [Lizzie] While startups like Sakuu

- [Lizzie] 雖然像Sakuu這樣的初創企業

are putting their first generation products to the test,

正在對其第一代產品進行測試。

the need for more advanced batteries is only growing.

對更先進的電池的需求只會越來越大。

The goal isn't just to get a better battery into your phone,

我們的目標不僅僅是為你的手機配備更好的電池。

it's increasing range for electric vehicles

它正在增加電動汽車的範圍

and large scale storage for a decarbonized energy grid.

和大規模的存儲，以建立一個去碳化的能源網。

But to take on the world of lithium ion,

但是，為了對付世界上的鋰離子。

newcomers can't just be a little better.

新來的人不能只做得更好一點。

- Which means that what we have to do

- 這意味著，我們必須做的是

to get this material to be commercial

以使這種材料成為商品

is we've got to make them perfect.

是我們必須使它們變得完美。

Because if it's not perfect,

因為如果它不完美

they've become a significant challenge

他們已經成為一個重要的挑戰

when it comes to trying to make this into a battery

當涉及到試圖把這個變成一個電池時

that'll stand the test of time

經得起時間的考驗

and power all the things we want to power.

併為所有我們想要的東西提供動力。

- That one's there.

- 那個人在那裡。

I think we should cut.

我認為我們應該削減。