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| Flexible Battery |
The Rise of Flexible Battery
The modern world is becoming increasingly dependent on portable electronic
devices like smartphones, tablets, wearable devices and more. As these devices
continue to become thinner, lighter and more flexible, traditional lithium-ion
batteries are no longer suitable to power them. This has led researchers
globally to work on developing Flexible Battery that can bend, twist and
stretch without compromising on performance or efficiency. Flexible Battery
promise to unlock new frontiers in technology and take portable electronics to
a whole new level.
What are Flexible Battery?
Flexible Battery, as the name suggests, are batteries that are thin,
lightweight and highly flexible. They use flexible and stretchable materials
like thin metal foils and polymer substrates instead of rigid materials like
copper and aluminum used in traditional batteries. This makes them ideally
suited for incorporation into fabrics, curved surfaces and flexible screens. Flexible
Battery can be shaped into virtually any form factor without breaking or losing
function.
Existing Types of Flexible Battery
Researchers have developed several prototype Flexible Battery using different
materials and manufacturing techniques:
- Zinc-carbon Flexible Battery: One of the earliest prototypes used zinc foil
as the anode, graphite powder as the cathode and potassium hydroxide
electrolyte gel sandwiched between flexible polymer sheets. These can withstand
thousands of bend cycles.
- Lithium-ion polymer Flexible Battery: These use lithium cobalt oxide or
lithium iron phosphate as the cathode and a graphite-polymer composite as the
anode. The electrolyte is a flexible polymer gel instead of a liquid. Sony
commercialized their first variant in 2013.
- Paper batteries: Researchers have developed thin, lightweight paper batteries
by growing nanoscale materials like zinc, manganese dioxide and carbon
nanotubes directly on thin paper using chemical processes. These can be rolled,
folded and bent thousands of times.
-Stretchable lithium-ion batteries: Special composite materials and
lithographically patterned electrodes allow these batteries to stretch and
contract without fracturing. They can withstand up to 300% elastic strain and
over 10,000 stretch/release cycles.
Advantages of Flexible Battery
The flexibility and form factor of these emerging Flexible
Battery technologies provide
some key advantages:
Conformal Surface Mounting:
Flexible Battery can wrap around complex non-planar surfaces, conforming to the
exact shape required. This allows seamless integration into curved gadget
surfaces, irregular interior spaces, prosthetics and more.
No Bulk or Rigidity:
Being extremely thin and light, Flexible Battery add negligible bulk and
rigidity to devices. This maintains portability while freeing up extra interior
space in compact devices.
Unbreakable Designs:
The ability to bend, fold and twist without damage means Flexible Battery
enable truly flexible, durable and shatter-proof devices. Screens and devices
can be folded for easy storage and transportation.
New Form Factors:
Flexible Battery unlock futuristic form factors like rollable displays, smart
wallpaper, e-textiles and more. Entirely new types of wearable devices can now
be envisioned.
Applications of Flexible Battery
While still in development, Flexible Battery are already envisioned to
profoundly impact several key application areas:
Wearable Devices:
The first mainstream application is likely to be powering smartwatches, fitness
bands, augmented reality glasses, smart clothing and other wearable gadgets
requiring batteries that don’t restrict mobility or comfort.
Portable Electronics:
Next-gen smartphones, tablets and laptops with rollable or folding displays
would rely on flexible battery tech for truly flexible form factors. Conformal
batteries could also debut in curved consumer devices before going mainstream.
electric Vehicles:
Future EVs may use lightweight, high-capacity flexible battery packs molded to
the contours of vehicle underbodies to maximize interior space or accommodate
complex geometries.
Medical Electronics:
Flexible, skin-mountable batteries could power medical wearables, implanted
devices and prosthetics with minimal discomfort or restrictions to the patient.
Conformal batteries may find uses in medical sensors.
Challenges for Flexible Battery
While having huge potential, Flexible Battery also face major performance
challenges compared to rigid lithium-ion counterparts:
Energy Density: Flexible designs typically have lower energy density than rigid
batteries due to use of thinner/lighter materials and smaller electrode
area-to-volume ratio. Extensive R&D is focusing on closing this gap.
Lifespan & Durability: Repeated flexing and high strain can accelerate
degradation and shorten cycle life in some flexible battery chemistries and
designs. Durability must meet or surpass rigid batteries.
Safety: New failure modes and risks may arise from constant flexing and
stretching stresses. Extensive evaluation is required to ensure flexible
designs are as safe as conventional batteries.
Commercial Viability: High manufacturing costs and low mass production scales
currently limit commercial adoption. Costs need to match lithium-ion before
markets can truly embrace Flexible Battery.
With intensive multidisciplinary R&D globally, Flexible Battery have
progressed rapidly from basic lab prototypes to functional test devices. While
challenges remain in critical areas like energy density, cycle life and
manufacturing scale-up – the long term potential is enormous. As technologies
evolve to truly fulfill the promise of flexibility without compromising
performance, Flexible Battery may emerge as an enabling technology powering the
next industrial revolution across multiple sectors. With focused innovation,
the future of flexible, conformable battery power is very bright indeed.
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