High-performance fibre battery with polymer gel electrolyte.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Polymer gel electrolytes offer safety and flexibility for wearable batteries but suffer from poor electrode interfaces due to insufficient wetting.
• This interface issue degrades electrochemical performance, particularly under battery deformation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a strategy for creating stable and intimate interfaces between polymer gel electrolytes and electrodes in wearable batteries.
• To enhance the electrochemical performance and safety of flexible wearable batteries.

Main Methods:

• Designing electrode fibers with aligned and networked channels for effective polymer gel electrolyte infiltration.
• Rotating electrode fibers to create aligned channels and surface-designed networked channels.
• Infiltrating monomer solution into channels followed by polymerization to form integrated gel electrolyte.

Main Results:

• Achieved high electrochemical performance in fiber lithium-ion batteries (FLBs), with an energy density of ~128 Wh/kg.
• Demonstrated high production rates for FLBs (3,600 m/h per winding unit).
• Wove FLBs into textiles (50 cm × 30 cm) with a 2,975 mAh capacity, showing safe operation at extreme temperatures (-40°C to 80°C) and vacuum.

Conclusions:

• The channel structure strategy effectively integrates polymer gel electrolytes, forming stable interfaces for high-performance wearable batteries.
• The developed FLBs are suitable for demanding applications like firefighting and space exploration due to their safety and durability.
• This approach offers a promising pathway for advanced flexible energy storage solutions.