A stretchable lithium-ion battery, flexible enough to power innovative stretchable electronics, has been developed by two scientists at Northwestern University.
Stretchable electronic devices are revolutionary because they do not need a cord and electrical outlet and can be used anywhere. The electronics are also implantable and can be used as healthcare monitors and tracking brain waves and heart activity.
Huang and Rogers, the two Northwestern researchers who demonstrated the stretchable battery, have shown that it continues to work fine when stretched, and can still power a commercial light-emitting diode (LED). They did this by folding, twisting, and mounting the battery on a human elbow. Design permits the integration of stretchable, inductive coils to enable charging through an external source but without the need for a physical connection.
The battery retains its life for up to 9 hours before needing recharging. The recharging can be performed wirelessly.
“Pop Up” technology allowed researchers to bend, stretch, and twist, and they create small circuit elements connected by metal wire “pop-up bridges” that when stretched pop up. Power travels through the interconnects.
Researchers also demonstrated the reversibility of the stretching process.
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