Stretchable batteries with gradient multilayer conductors.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Stretchable conductors are crucial for wearable and deformable electronics.
• Maintaining high electrical conductivity under strain is a significant challenge, especially for energy storage devices.
• Existing stretchable conductors often fail to meet the demands of high-strain applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel stretchable conductors with enhanced conductivity and mechanical stability.
• To investigate the potential of gradient assembled polyurethane (GAP) nanocomposites for electronic applications.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of these materials in fabricating high-performance stretchable energy storage devices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of multilayered gradient assembled polyurethane (GAP) nanocomposites incorporating self-assembling gold nanoparticles.
• Characterization of the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the GAP conductors under varying strain levels (up to 300%).
• Integration of GAP electrodes into a stretchable lithium-ion battery prototype for performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• The GAP conductors exhibited metallic conductivity in both lateral and transversal directions even at 300% strain.
• The developed stretchable lithium-ion battery demonstrated a charge-discharge rate capability of 100 mAh g^-1 at 0.5 A g^-1.
• The battery maintained remarkable cycle retention of 96% after 1000 cycles, showcasing excellent durability.

Conclusions:

• Hierarchical GAP nanocomposites offer a promising route to highly conductive and stretchable materials.
• The developed materials enable the rapid fabrication of advanced, high-performance stretchable charge storage devices.
• This work advances the field of stretchable electronics, particularly for applications requiring robust energy storage.