Battery Yarn Could Power Wearable Textiles

Jun-02-14 Researchers have created type of 'battery-yarn'— fiber-shaped Li-ion batteries that could be woven into textiles to power wearable device more efficiently than current methods.

So far, wearable devices have been powered using supercapacitors, which are not as ideal as Li-ion battery fibers. However, the fibers have been difficult to create due to their tendency to expand and cause their silicon layer to peel off.

The Fudan University team created the batteries by depositing Lithium manganate (LMO) particles on a carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet. The sheet was then rolled to create a yarn that works as the cathode. The anode was made in a similar way, by placing a CNT sheet between a pair of silicon-coated CNT sheets and rolling it up as well. The two 'yarns' are then separated by a gel electrolyte and wound to create the battery. This hybrid yarn structure also buffers the silicon's changes due to expansion and helps prevent the silicon layer from being damaged.

Image: A magnification of CNT-Si/CNT composite yarn that acts as the anode

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[FUDAN UNIVERSITY]

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