• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise

Power Electronic Tips

Power Electronic News, Editorial, Video and Resources

  • Products
    • Power Supplies
    • AC-DC
    • DC-DC
    • Battery Management
    • Capacitors
    • Magnetics
    • MOSFETS
    • Power Management
    • RF Power
    • Resistors
    • Transformers
    • Transistors
  • Applications
    • 5G
    • AI
    • Automotive
    • EV Engineering
    • LED Lighting
    • Industrial
    • IoT
    • Wireless
  • Learn
    • eBooks / Tech Tips
    • EE Training Days
    • FAQ
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • Resources
    • Design Guide Library
    • Digital Issues
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • White Papers
    • Design Fast
  • Video
    • EE Videos & Interviews
    • Teardown Videos
  • EE Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online.com
  • Engineeering Training Days
  • Newsetter Subscription

New from the research lab: High-energy textile lithium battery

May 24, 2019 By Lee Teschler

Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) say they have developed a highly flexible, high-energy lithium battery for wearable electronics with a myriad of applications.

PolyU’s novel lightweight Textile Lithium Battery demonstrates an energy density of more than 450 Wh/L and flexibility — with a bending radius of less than 1 mm and foldability of over 1,000 cycles with marginal capacity degradation. In comparison, the existing bendable lithium battery can only reach a bending radius of about 25 mm and demonstrates less than a 200 Wh/L energy density. The Textile Lithium Battery, of less than 0.5 mm thick, also charges and discharges quickly and exhibits long cycle life comparable with conventional lithium batteries.

Professor ZHENG Zijian, who leads the ITC research team, said, “Wearable technology has been named as the next global big market opportunity after smartphones. As all wearable electronics will require wearable energy supply, our novel technology offers a promising solution to a wide array of next-generation applications.”

Over the past decade, scientists have put a great deal of effort into developing bendable lithium batteries, often by using metal foils as current collectors. However, it is only with the emergence of PolyU’s Textile Lithium Battery that the bottlenecks over energy density, flexibility, mechanical robustness and cycling stability have been addressed.

PolyU patented a novel technology of Polymer-Assisted Metal Deposition (PAMD) where highly conductive metal, copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) are uniformly and conformally deposited onto pre-treated fabrics. Such fabricated metallic fabrics, featuring low sheet resistance and large surface area, serve as current collectors in the battery. After adding active materials to act as cathodes and anodes, the metallic fabrics, together with a separator and electrolyte, are assembled into the Textile Lithium Battery.

PolyU says that laboratory tests conducted by the ITC team have shown the new battery exhibits extremely high mechanical stability, durability and safety under deformation. When the battery is repeatedly folded in half, twisted at different angles or freely crumpled, its voltage window remained unchanged. Bending tests showed that the battery can bend over 1,000 times with marginal capacity degradation. Safety tests conducted by continuous hammering, trimming with scissors and penetrating with nail proved the battery can stably provide power output for the electronic components with no risk of catching fire or burst, PolyU says.

The findings were published in Nature Communications:- Chang et al. Flexible and stable high-energy lithium-sulfur full batteries with only 100% oversized lithium. Nature Communications, 2018, 9(1): 4480.

You may also like:

  • nawa
    Get ready for supercaps with 5x boost in power/energy density

  • Battery self-discharge and designing for long life

  • Working with higher voltages, Part 2: Voltage multipliers

  • Powering graphics processors from a 48-V bus

Filed Under: batteries, Featured

Primary Sidebar

Featured Contributions

Robust design for Variable Frequency Drives and starters

Meeting demand for hidden wearables via Schottky rectifiers

The case for vehicle 48 V power systems

GaN reliability milestones break through the silicon ceiling

Developing power architecture to support autonomous transportation

More Featured Contributions

EE LEARNING CENTER

EE Learning Center

EE TECH TOOLBOX

“ee
Tech Toolbox: 5G Technology
This Tech Toolbox covers the basics of 5G technology plus a story about how engineers designed and built a prototype DSL router mostly from old cellphone parts. Download this first 5G/wired/wireless communications Tech Toolbox to learn more!

EE ENGINEERING TRAINING DAYS

engineering
“power
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for EE professionals.
“bills

RSS Current EDABoard.com discussions

  • Mean offset increase in post-layout simulation of clocked comparator
  • problem connecting to my xilinx device VIA global IP
  • Testing 5kW Grid Tied inverter over 200-253VAC
  • Getting different output for op amp circuit
  • dc-dc converter in series

RSS Current Electro-Tech-Online.com Discussions

  • Back to the old BASIC days
  • using a RTC in SF basic
  • what's it's name
  • What is correct names for GOOD user friendly circuit drawing program?
  • Curved lines in PCB design

DesignFast

Component Selection Made Simple.

Try it Today
design fast globle

Footer

EE World Online Network

  • 5G Technology World
  • EE World Online
  • Engineers Garage
  • Analog IC Tips
  • Battery Power Tips
  • Connector Tips
  • DesignFast
  • EDA Board Forums
  • Electro Tech Online Forums
  • EV Engineering
  • Microcontroller Tips
  • Sensor Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips

Power Electronic Tips

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About us

Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy