Exhibiting the Advanced Conductive Mesh, a New Structural Electrode Component for Next-Generation Batteries, at the 66th Battery Symposium

View of the I-PEX booth at the 66th Battery Symposium

I-PEX exhibited at the accompanying exhibition of the 66th Battery Symposium, held from November 18th (Tue) to 20th (Thu), 2025, at the Aichi Industrial and Labor Center (WINC Aichi) in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to visit our booth.

At the I-PEX booth, we showcased our advanced conductive mesh, an electrode component for secondary batteries currently under development. This product utilizes our unique surface treatment technology cultivated through our connector plating technology.

This article will introduce I-PEX's exhibit at the 66th Battery Symposium and its future prospects.

Click here for more information about our advanced conductive mesh

The 66th Battery Symposium: A Specialized Academic Conference on Batteries Where Experts Converge

I-PEX booth exhibits

The Battery Symposium is an academic and industry exchange event focused on battery technology, including secondary batteries. Researchers, engineers, and manufacturers gather to present the latest research and technological developments in the battery field. Beyond presentations, the event also serves as a hub for industry-academia collaboration and business discussions through corporate exhibitions.

This discussion forum, which brings together numerous battery experts from both Japan and abroad, provides a valuable opportunity to grasp the latest industry trends and forge new partnerships.

We participated in this exhibition to raise awareness of our advanced conductive mesh which is currently under development, and to connect with potential battery development partners. This event gave us direct access to leading experts at the forefront of battery technology, allowing us to showcase the potential and technical advantages of our product to a highly targeted audience.

Exhibiting the Advanced Conductive Mesh

Advanced Conductive Mesh (left: copper-metallized product, right: aluminum-metallized product)

New structural materials for next-generation batteries, replacing conventional metal foil.

At the I-PEX booth, we showcase our advanced conductive mesh, an electrode material for secondary batteries currently under development.

In conventional secondary batteries, aluminium foil serves as the cathode current collector and copper foil as the anode. The advanced conductive mesh reimagines this approach by metallizing copper or aluminium onto nonwoven fabric, the same material used in disposable masks. This innovation has been realized by applying the surface treatment and plating technology that I-PEX has cultivated over decades of connector manufacturing and is being developed as a next-generation alternative to traditional metal foil electrodes.

A 3D structure that is lightweight, high in specific surface area, and flexible

Cross-section of advanced conductive mesh

Combining the inherent lightness and high specific surface area of non-woven fabric with highly efficient conductive paths and excellent flexibility, this current collector is being developed to help achieve longer life and greater capacity in next-generation batteries.

The design also introduces a fundamental shift in how active material paste, responsible for lithium-ion exchange during charge and discharge cycles, is applied. Rather than coating the paste onto the surface of the foil, it is infused directly into the voids within the non-woven fabric.  As the active material penetrates and bonds within these voids, the contact surface area increases significantly, offering a novel approach to suppressing interfacial delamination of the electrodes.

Through this structural innovation, we aim to push battery durability and performance even further.

The results of the demonstration using batteries for microdrones were also released

Achieved over 16 minutes of flight time with a micro-drone powered by a battery pack equipped with the advanced conductive mesh

One of the main applications for the advanced conductive mesh is in batteries for micro-drones used in infrastructure inspection. At the exhibition, we also presented the verification results from prototype drone batteries, demonstrating approximately twice the flight time of commercially available battery packs of the same weight. This result attracted significant attention from visitors.

In addition, our exhibition booth included a corner where visitors could actually touch and experience actual samples.  Designed to gice an intuitive feel for the unique texture and structural properties of metal-plated non-woven fabric, this interactive display proved highly effective, drawing enthusiastic responses even for what is, at first glance, an unfamiliar internal component of a secondary battery.

Learn more about micro-drone flight tests here

Reflections on the Exhibition

We were thrilled to welcome so many visitors to the I-PEX booth this year.  This was our second consecutive year exhibiting, and the visitor numbers grew by more than 1.5 times, with strong interest from major automobile manufacturers, battery manufacturers in Japan and abroad, and researchers from leading universities and institutions. Many expressed curiosity about the underlying structure and inquired about sample availability, reaffirming the growing interest in our technology.

Given the nature as an internal battery component, capturing visitors' attention at first glance was a key challenge. Our hands-on displays and the release of empirical data from actual prototypes proved to be the right approach, sparkling meaningful discussions with many experts in the battery and energy fields.

Future Outlook

Through this exhibition, we were able to reaffirm the industry's high expectations and potential for the advanced conductive mesh.

Going forward, we will engage with those who have requested samples through detailed technical discussions and specification reviews, followed by phased sample deliveries. By building technical verification in actual usage environments, we aim to accelerate partnerships with battery development partners.

Please Contact I-PEX For Consultations And Inquiries

The advanced conductive mesh is a new structural electrode component for next-generation batteries that combines I-PEX's plating and surface treatment technologies cultivated through connector manufacturing with the three-dimensional structural characteristics of non-woven fabric.

By filling the internal gaps of current collector with active material, the technology is designed to increase the contact area, suppress interfacial delamination, and ultimately deliver longer battery life and higher capacity. Starting with applications for micro-drones for infrastructure inspection, we are expanding into a broad range of applications.

Whether you are developing next-generation batteries, are interested in receiving samples of our advanced conductive mesh or in a partnership, please feel free to contact I-PEX.

About I-PEX Inc.

I-PEX stands for “Innovative Product development & Engineering solutions eXpert” providing value in the form of inspiration and astonishment in the global marketplace. The company was founded in 1963 as Dai-ichi Seiko, a precision mold manufacturer, and has since produced numerous world-firsts and unique products and solutions. I-PEX currently operates in five business fields: Connectors, Contract Manufacturing (Automotive Components & Electronics Components), Molds & Equipment, MEMS Foundry, and Energy Solutions. By delivering the sharpest tip to the world, we will contribute to exciting value-creation in the digitalized society by working globally with every customer who opens up the new era.