Student from Hyannis Wins Scholarship to Design Printable Part of an Alkaline Battery

Andrew Henry, a second-year new media publishing student at Rochester Institute of Technology, won the second place award of $6,000 in the Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association Rossini North America Flexographic Scholarship competition. Henry is a 2006 graduate of Cape Cod Technical High School.

Henry’s scholarship will fund a one-year project to help develop a fully printable manganese dioxide cathode (the positive pole on a battery) using the flexography process. The ultimate goal is to develop a fully printable cathode battery element that would eventually lead to the printing of the entire battery structure.

Flexography is a commercial printing process that uses a flexible polymer printing plate much like a rubber stamp. Flexography takes advantage of very light printing pressures to allow the printing of a wide variety of products from heavy cardboard boxes to disposable plastic shopping bags.

“By printing these batteries, we may improve the environmental impact of the alkaline battery by decreasing the amount of metals used in the manufacturing process and selecting degradable or recyclable materials such as paper in place of these bulk metals,” says Scott Williams, professor in RIT’s School of Print Media.

The scholarship selection process was based on criteria including applicant’s achievements, performance and professional qualifications, and the merit and value of the proposed research project.

Henry will be honored at the Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association Annual Forum in Orlando, Fla., May 3-6. He will present his research to the conference attendees.