Flexible textile battery may power wearable devices

Scientists have developed a thin, highly flexible textile lithium battery that could safely power wearable electronics used in healthcare monitoring, smart clothes and Internet of Things (IoT). The lightweight textile lithium battery, developed by researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has high energy density and excellent flexibility.

The battery, which is less than 0.5 mm thick, possesses fast charging/discharging capability and also has a long cycle life compared with conventional lithium batteries.

“Global market revenues for wearable devices are forecasted to grow by leaps and bounds, of over 20 per cent annually, to reach USD 100 billion by 2024,” said Zheng Zijian, who led the research team.

“As all wearable electronics will require wearable energy supply, our novel technology in fabricating Textile Lithium Battery offers promising solution to a wide array of next-generation applications, ranging from healthcare, infotainment, sports, aerospace, fashion, IoT to any sensing or tracking uses that may even exceed our imagination of today,” said Zijian.