Chinese scientists have introduced a highly convenient bag and fabric that can charge mobile phones.
The “secret” lies in the fact that the bag and fabric are equipped with high-performance fiber batteries.
According to China Daily, with the growing popularity of smartphones and other smart devices, wearable batteries are becoming increasingly essential and are a hot research area worldwide.
The phone charges as soon as it is placed in the bag – (Screenshot from video).
To create this type of battery, researchers considered replacing conventional liquid electrolytes with polymer gel electrolytes to ensure safety and enhance flexibility.
However, the polymer gel electrolyte and electrodes had poor contact due to insufficient wetting, which reduced electrochemical performance, especially when the battery was deformed.
This issue troubled Professor Peng Huisheng’s research team at Fudan University, China, for many years, until one day Peng was inspired by seeing ivy vines tightly wrapping around another tree.
He discovered that the vines secreted a liquid with excellent wetting properties, which could penetrate the pore structure on the contact surface between the two types of plants, allowing the monomers in the liquid to “stick” the vines to the other tree, winding them together.
As a result, the research team designed channel structures in the electrodes to incorporate the polymer gel electrolyte, creating stable and tight interfaces for wearable batteries.
With this solution, the team fabricated kilometers of fiber lithium-ion batteries with an energy density of 128 watt-hours, capable of powering high-consumption devices such as drones.
Subsequently, the fiber batteries were turned into fabric, bags that can charge mobile phones and other wearable devices like smartwatches…
At a recent press conference, the research team showcased a piece of fabric and an ordinary-looking bag, but when a mobile phone was placed inside, the phone’s screen indicated it was charging.
Scientists introduced the incredibly convenient bag and fabric that can charge mobile phones.
Applications in disaster relief, aerospace… Professor Peng Huisheng stated that they have established a pilot production line with a production capacity of 300 watt-hours, equivalent to a battery capable of charging 20 mobile phones simultaneously. This technology can also efficiently power heating suits for winter. It promises to be applied in firefighting, disaster relief, polar exploration, and aerospace. The research was published this week in the journal Nature. |
