Strategic Elements Develops Portable Dock to Charge Lithium Batteries Using Moisture

Breakthrough Portable Energy Dock Targets Battery Charging from Moisture

Strategic Elements Ltd (ASX:SOR) is pushing the boundaries of renewable energy tech with its new Moisture Energy Dock, a pocket-sized device designed to charge standard removable lithium-ion batteries using only moisture. The initial goal is straightforward but ambitious: to demonstrate that a Nokia feature phone’s battery can be charged inside this dock to support a one-minute voice call without any connection to mains power or external energy sources.

The dock leverages the company’s proprietary Energy Ink™ technology, an early-stage printable energy system that converts moisture into electrical energy. This marks a tangible step beyond lab-scale innovation, aiming to prove practical application by integrating with commercially available batteries and devices.

Modular Design and Energy Management at the Core

The Moisture Energy Dock features a modular architecture, allowing interchangeable Energy Ink™ cell packs and battery modules. This flexibility means different configurations and battery types can be tested without redesigning the entire unit. Strategic Elements is also exploring a "hot-swappable" design for future iterations, which would enable replacement of cell packs or batteries without losing stored energy or disrupting the device’s electrical state.

Central to the dock’s operation is an ultra-thin supercapacitor acting as an intermediate energy buffer. It smooths the gradual energy output from the Energy Ink™ cells, stabilising and controlling the transfer of power into the removable battery via sophisticated power-management circuitry. This layered approach addresses the challenge of converting variable moisture-driven energy into a usable, steady charge.

Breath as a Controlled Moisture Source

Rather than relying on ambient humidity, the dock uses exhaled breath as a test moisture input. Breath is warm and saturated with water vapour, providing a consistent and repeatable moisture source that loads an internal reservoir to maintain favourable humidity conditions around the Energy Ink™ cells. This engineered moisture environment is key to making the energy output more predictable and usable.

Strategic Elements sees this as a foundational proof point, with potential to expand into other moisture contexts such as wearable patches using sweat, deliberate liquid droplets, horticultural moisture cycles, or industrial humid process streams.

Backing from Government and Australian Innovation Ecosystem

The project aligns with Strategic Elements’ role as a Federal Government-registered Pooled Development Fund, which supports high-risk, long-horizon Australian innovation with patient capital. Managing Director Charles Murphy emphasised the ambition behind the dock: "A standard lithium battery being charged with moisture as the input - no mains power, no external power supply. This is exactly the kind of breakthrough Australian technology our Pooled Development Fund structure exists to back."

The company’s collaboration with Australian Advanced Materials Pty Ltd and the University of New South Wales underscores the deep scientific foundation of Energy Ink™. Recent progress includes securing a key Japanese patent for the technology, which strengthens its intellectual property position in critical electronics markets.