World's Longest Flexible Battery Is Made 100% Out Of Fibre And Can Be 3D Printed
Think of a battery. Now add some fibre in the mix. Yep, scientists have now developed a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is in the form of an ultra-long fibre.
This experimental battery can be woven into clothes. According to TechXplore, the battery may help improve the potential of wearable electronic tech. Scientists also believe that the batteries could be used to make 3D printed batteries in virtually any shape.
What's the use of such batteries?
Imagine complex solutions driven by batteries that may be woven into regular clothes. Scientists have an array of things in mind - including self-powered communications, sensing, and even computation devices that appear like ordinary clothes.
To support a device, such cloth-like batteries may be used to create structural parts. With these hopes, scientists behind the fibre battery have unveiled it as the world's longest - at 140 metres!
Published in the journal Materials Today, the battery's research was led by Tural Khudiyev (National University of Singapore), Jung Tae Lee (Kyung Hee University), and Benjamin Grena (Apple).
Also read:?Your Phone Won't Run Out Of Battery Charge For A Week, With Samsung And IBM's Chips
The new fibre battery is created using exceptional battery gels with help from a standard fibre-drawing system. In this, the large cylinder containing all components heats up, but just below its melting point.
To compress all "parts for a fraction of their original diameter", the material is drawn through a narrow opening, TechXplore reported. In this process, the original arrangement of parts of maintained.
Why these batteries are groundbreaking
According to key author of study, Khudiyev, these batteries in fibre form are especially special - for previous iterations put the key materials on the outside of fibre. This new method embeds the lithium and other materials inside the fibre with a protective coating, making it stable and waterproof.
The 140-meter-long fibre currently has energy storage of 123 milliamp-hours, capable of charging smartphones and smartwatches. In terms of its thickness, the fibre is only a few hundred microns thick.
Also read:?Researchers Build Washable Battery That Stretches Like Rubber Without Exploding
What do you think about this new fibre of the future? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.?For more in the world of?tech and science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.?
Citation
Chandler, D. L. (2021, December 20). Engineers produce the world’s longest flexible fiber battery. TechXplore.?
