Stretchable, weavable coiled carbon nanotube/MnO2/polymer fiber solid-state supercapacitors.
Changsoon Choi1, Shi Hyeong Kim1, Hyeon Jun Sim1
1Center for Bio-Artificial Muscle and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea.
Scientific Reports
|March 24, 2015
Summary
Researchers developed stretchable fiber supercapacitors using carbon nanotubes and MnO2 nanofibers. These wearable power sources maintain performance during significant stretching, enabling new applications in electronics and medicine.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Wearable electronics and implantable medical devices require flexible and stretchable power sources.
- Existing fiber and yarn supercapacitors often face limitations in cost, scalability, and stretchability, hindering their practical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop elastomerically deformable fiber supercapacitors without performance degradation.
- To overcome the limitations of previous stretchable supercapacitors for advanced applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of solid-state supercapacitors using a twisted nylon thread core helically wrapped with carbon nanotube sheets.
- Electrochemical deposition of manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanofibers onto the carbon nanotube sheets to create pseudocapacitive electrodes.
- Testing of supercapacitor performance under various strain conditions, including cyclic stretching during charge and discharge.
Main Results:
- The developed solid-state supercapacitors exhibit minimal capacitance loss (<15%) even when stretched by 150% in the fiber direction.
- Supercapacitors largely retain capacitance during cyclic stretching, demonstrating robust performance during operation.
- High linear and areal capacitances (5.4 mF/cm, 40.9 mF/cm²) and energy/power densities (2.6 μWh/cm², 66.9 μW/cm²) were achieved despite the engineered superelasticity.
- Demonstrated sustained performance of supercapacitors integrated into a glove wristband under 50% elastic deformation.
Conclusions:
- The novel fabrication method yields highly stretchable fiber supercapacitors with excellent electrochemical performance.
- These supercapacitors are suitable for integration into wearable devices, offering a reliable power source for flexible electronics.
- The demonstrated superelasticity and performance retention open new avenues for power solutions in micro-devices and implantable medical technologies.
