'Stretchable Toothpaste Battery: Paving the Flexible Future of Gadgets'

A recent study suggests that stiff, large batteries might someday be supplanted by softer, more pliable alternatives.

Researchers from a Swedish institution have developed a novel type of flexible, liquid-infused battery that can be molded into various shapes. as per the findings released on Friday in Science Advances.

"The consistency is somewhat akin to toothpaste," co-author Aiman Rahmanudin stated. said in a statement .

This adaptable characteristic allows for the 3D printing of batteries in any shape, paving the way for "a new kind of technology," according to Rahmanudin.

The battery, as it stands now, is not prepared for industrial applications. It holds barely 1 volt, which amounts to less than 8 percent of the voltage provided by an average car battery.

However, Rahmanudin contended that this has shown significant progress in adaptability—and raising the voltage could be achieved by incorporating widely accessible metals such as zinc or manganese.

Consumer product forecasters recognize an urgent requirement for these solutions. industry estimates suggest That approximately 40 billion devices around the globe will be interconnected via the internet by 2033 — a figure representing double the amount from 2023.

The anticipated demand for products like consumer electronics, wearable medical devices, or soft robots has spurred research into innovative types of flexible batteries, moving past the conventional metallic box and cylinder designs that currently dominate the market.

According to new technologies demand not only extended storage duration but also "energy supplies capable of bending and flexing without sacrificing efficiency or toughness." a December survey in Science Bulletin.

It became crucial to develop battery materials "capable of withstanding repeated folding, twisting, and stretching," as observed by the researchers in the study published that December.

As researchers compete to develop these materials, they are testing out flexible batteries employing traditional technologies—such as lithium-ion and sodium-ion—as well as innovative alternatives, including zinc-ion, or a blend of zinc and magnesium-oxygen.

The research published on Friday addresses an effort to resolve what lead researcher Rahmanudin termed the main contradiction: enhancing battery capacity necessitates thicker electrodes, which are the conductive components responsible for transferring charges between the positive and negative terminals.

This characteristic indicates that increased energy storage generally comes with greater stiffness.

The Swedish researchers claim to have resolved this issue by developing liquid electrodes—using a mix of flexible, electrically conducting plastics along with lignin, a polymer present in wood and tree bark.

The lignin, extracted by researchers from paper pulp, serves as an abundant resource available in countries with substantial paper industries—such places include Sweden, the United States, and China, a leading producer of batteries.

Mohsen Mohammadi, who was one of the principal authors of the study, mentioned that this material provides an effective way to recycle a waste product.

“He stated that by repurposing a waste product like lignin into a valuable commodity such as a battery material, we promote a more circular economy.”

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