An ultra-thin flexible sticker battery with the characteristics of lithium batteries has been created
Scientists at the South Korean Energy Research Institute have developed an ultra-thin smartphone battery that does not lose charge. Externally, the device is a flexible sticker that can stick to almost all surfaces. Its main purpose should be mobile gadgets of the same flexible form factor with folding screens. The basis of the battery is a microfilm capacitor, which is designed to accumulate a large amount of energy and further preserve it after all bends and deformations. To fix such a battery in the required place, the developers proposed a method using ultrashort laser pulses. They slightly melt the surface of the invention, thereby fixing the battery to the surface. Scientists are confident that the work of pulses can only affect the outer side of the battery, while its functionality will not be affected. The structurally flexible battery consists of porous graphene and polymer composites, while all the components are additionally treated with an adhesive protein compound, which protects them from damage during repeated bending and deformation. The battery is able to regain its original shape after all external influences and maintain performance.
In terms of specific energy, the battery is approximately on the same level as lithium-ion thin batteries. The differences begin in the power density, which, according to Korean developers, is 13 times higher than the same characteristic of lithium batteries. At the same time, the structural features of lithium-ion batteries are not able to withstand repeated deformations while maintaining capacity, and in some cases strong impacts can lead to spontaneous combustion. In this regard, the battery for a smartphone of Korean origin should become more reliable. After a couple of hundred bends, the battery, according to the developers, is able to save energy by 99%. The same number of laser pulse gluing cycles will keep the battery capacity at 97%. The authors of the development did not begin to clarify why, instead of glue or double-sided tape, which are often used by smartphone manufacturers, they preferred exactly laser pulses to mount their device. By the way, a number of the largest companies are openly interested in flexible batteries for use in their mobile gadgets. These include Apple, which launched its own flexible battery project a few years ago. The corporation intended its use in branded smartwatches Watch, but to date, this class of Apple devices still uses classic lithium energy sources. Korean development scientists do not share the details of what stage of development the smartphone battery is now at, whether there is a working prototype ready for production, and when it is planned to be serially released. Not knowing the timing of the appearance of the finished product, at the same time, the researchers already know exactly where flexible batteries will be used in the first place. In addition to smartphones with foldable displays, the battery will appear in fitness trackers and smartwatches. The Topic of Article: An ultra-thin flexible sticker battery with the characteristics of lithium batteries has been created. |
