Researchers have created an ultra-thin, high-performance, flexible battery which could be used in smartphones and wearable products.
The effort was made by researchers at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and was achieved by generating high performance electrodes using a 900 nanometer fluoride nickel layer as a substrate in which 5 nanometer nanometers were etched.
They then enclosed the electrodes in an electrolyte made of potassium hydroxide in polyvinyl alcohol.
According to the Rice scientists, the device it has the ability to behave like a battery, although its structure resembles that of a super-capacitor.
More specifically, it can be charged and discharged very quickly, like a supercapacitor, or it can be charged at a slower rate and offer slow discharge.charging, behaving like a battery.
The device is one-hundredth of an inch thick and was measured to retain 76% of its original capacity after 10.000 charge-discharges and 1.000 bends. The performance energys was measured at 384 Wh/kg, while power efficiency was measured at 112 kW/kg.
This technology could be used on wearable devices due to low weight and compact dimensions, but also on flexible electronic devices such as future smartwatches and smartphones.
Rice researchers are already in talks with several companies that have shown interest in mass production of this technology. The study was published in the recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
