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Stretchy Washable Battery Now Closer For Wearable Devices
December 29, 2021 | Leave a Comment
University of British Columbia researchers have created what could be the first battery that is both flexible and washable. In addition to watches and patches for measuring vital signs, the battery might also be integrated with clothing that can actively change color or temperature. It works even when twisted or stretched to twice its normal length, or after being tossed in the laundry.
Dr. Ngoc Tan Nguyen and his colleagues have created a battery that is both flexible and washable. It works even when twisted or stretched to twice its normal length, or after being washed multiple times. Image Credit: Kai Jacobson, University of British Columbia. Click image for the largest view.
Dr. Ngoc Tan Nguyen, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s faculty of applied science said, “Wearable electronics are a big market and stretchable batteries are essential to their development. However, up until now, stretchable batteries have not been washable. This is an essential addition if they are to withstand the demands of everyday use.”
The battery developed by Dr. Nguyen and his colleagues offers a number of engineering advances. In normal batteries, the internal layers are hard materials encased in a rigid exterior. The UBC team made the key compounds – in this case, zinc and manganese dioxide – stretchable by grinding them into small pieces and then embedding them in a rubbery plastic, or polymer. The battery comprises several ultra-thin layers of these polymers wrapped inside a casing of the same polymer. This construction creates an airtight, waterproof seal that ensures the integrity of the battery through repeated use.
It was team member Bahar Iranpour, a PhD student, who suggested throwing the battery in the wash to test its seal. So far, the battery has withstood 39 wash cycles and the team expects to further improve its durability as they continue to develop the technology.
Iranpour pointed out, “We put our prototypes through an actual laundry cycle in both home and commercial-grade washing machines. They came out intact and functional and that’s how we know this battery is truly resilient.”
The team’s research paper has been published in Advanced Energy Materials.
The choice of zinc and manganese dioxide chemistry also confers another important advantage. “We went with zinc-manganese because for devices worn next to the skin, it’s a safer chemistry than lithium-ion batteries, which can produce toxic compounds when they break,” said Nguyen.
Ongoing work is underway to increase the battery’s power output and cycle life, but already the innovation has attracted commercial interest. The researchers believe that when the new battery is ready for consumers, it could cost the same as an ordinary rechargeable battery.
Electrical and computer engineering professor Dr. John Madden, director of UBC’s Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Lab who supervised the work said, “The materials used are incredibly low-cost, so if this is made in large numbers, it will be cheap.”
In addition to watches and patches for measuring vital signs, the battery might also be integrated with clothing that can actively change color or temperature.
“Wearable devices need power. By creating a cell that is soft, stretchable and washable, we are making wearable power comfortable and convenient,” said professor Madden.
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This is classic serendipity. Others have looked at this goal and turned away only to have this team hit a home run. There has to have been considerable intuition or raw intellect get this result before the engineering and design. One could expect this technology to get quite common and far reaching pretty quickly if all the steps will scale up in process engineering and a cost effective way.
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