Scientists create stretchable batteries that may give green light to product designers

A new type of battery is still a work in progress.

For a while now, scientists and tech companies have been working on ways to create more efficient, durable, and safer batteries. Now, researchers at Linköping University in Sweden claim to have found a way to make stretchable batteries.

The senior author of the research, Aiman Rahmanudin, shared that this type of battery is made from toothpaste-like material, which can then be used in a 3D printer to shape the battery to whatever shape is needed.

The issue with the batteries, as we know it, is that one has to choose between their size, flexibility, and power.

Scientists from Linköping University's Laboratory of Organic Electronics found a way to combine these three features without compromising their quality.

Their findings were first published in April of this year in the Science Advances journal.

Considering that batteries are often the largest element in electronics, they often impact the final product's specifications and design.

This could change with stretchy and soft batteries, which would allow developers and manufacturers to focus on creating a design suited to a user's needs rather than one that is made to work around the battery.

To turn this into reality, researchers reinvented the battery components. Its cathodes and anodes were made from modified lignin, while battery connections were kept metallic but made from nanographite and silver nanowires for flexibility, reports Live Science.

These materials allow the battery to keep its shape and hold the material while remaining flexible.

The new type of battery could be used in various devices, such as hearing aids and pacemakers. It can also be utilized for electronics, in clothing, and robotics, allowing robots to move and bend more freely.

Researchers shared that the battery can be recharged and discharged more than 500 times and stretched to double its length.

Despite the progress, one of the downsides of the current flexible battery is its voltage. It can now reach 0.9 volts, which can charge electronic devices that can work on a single AA battery. For comparison, many batteries charge at least 1.5 volts (such batteries are often used for remote controls, cameras, toys, and similar). For this reason, scientists are now looking for chemical compounds suitable for increasing the voltage.

The batteries should also be checked for possible risks and their impact on the environment and humans.