A Fluid Battery That Can Take Any Shape

Typography

Using electrodes in a fluid form, researchers at Linköping University have developed a battery that can take any shape.

Using electrodes in a fluid form, researchers at Linköping University have developed a battery that can take any shape. This soft and conformable battery can be integrated into future technology in a completely new way. Their study has been published in the journal Science Advances.

“The texture is a bit like toothpaste. The material can, for instance, be used in a 3D printer to shape the battery as you please. This opens up for a new type of technology,” says Aiman Rahmanudin, assistant professor at Linköping University.

It is estimated that more than a trillion gadgets will be connected to the Internet in ten years’ time. In addition to traditional technology such as mobile phones, smartwatches and computers this could involve wearable medical devices such as insulin pumps, pacemakers, hearing aids and various health monitoring sensors, and in the long term also soft robotics, e-textiles and connected nerve implants.

If all these gadgets are to work in a way that does not hinder the user, new types of batteries need to be developed.

Read more at Linköping University

Image: Researchers at Linköping University have developed a battery that can take any shape. (Credit: Thor Balkhed)