Have you heard about flexible batteries? Yes, this is true. Scientists have acknowledged that they have developed a flexible lithium-ion battery, which can be expanded to 300 hundred times of its original size and that too without affecting its performance. The battery will return to its original state after being stretched, supporting wireless charging. It is the result of collective efforts of the University of Illinois’ John A. Rogers and Northwestern University’s Yonggang Huang.
The design supports energy storage and ‘a spring within a spring’ wire connections placed in a silicone sheet, which provides a stretchable housing for wires and energy while the serpentine shape wiring goes along with the stretch of the polymer without getting impaired.
The stretchable batteries were made flexible with the use of a process called as ‘ordered unraveling’. The battery contains essential electrical circuitry, supporting wireless charging. The process of stretching is reversible and the battery can run for eight to nine hours on a single charge.
The battery can be used for powering brain-wave monitoring, heart activities, bionic eyeballs and robotic skins, according to the research. It has limitless industry applications specifically with the rising demand of flexible technology across consumer electronics. Hope to see more technological advancements in the future.
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