This power source has been described as somewhat similar to yarn, and could replace current forms of battery.
According to some of the latest power source tech discoveries, the next batteries to be produced for wearable technology could be less like the forms that we currently recognize and more in the form of a lithium ion yarn like threading.
These very small and flexible electronics could become the next generation of smart clothes wearables.
It could also help to solve some of the issues that are currently faced by the manufacturers of smart t-shirts and other clothing that are in development or already on the market shelves. These forms of wearable technology are typically filled with different kinds of sensors that will provide bio feedback for health and fitness data. However, one of the primary challenges in the production of those products has been in providing them with power in a practical and affordable way.
A recent development from a Chinese university may be paving the way for a new type of wearable technology battery.
A team at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, under Huisheng Peng has come up with a battery that is thread-like, making it possible to weave it into smart clothing and other electronic textiles so that they will be able to continuously operate. The wires were developed through the use of carbon nanotubes that were nested one inside the other. A coating of lithium titanium oxide nanoparticles was then added to some of those wires. Other wires were coated with lithium manganese oxide. Then, one of each types of those tiny wires – which represent the negative and positive terminals of the battery – were twisted together through the use of an electrolyte gel. Between them, a thin non-conducting strip was placed so that the two wires would be kept separate.
The battery is exceptionally lightweight. A length of 10 centimeters (nearly 4 inches) is able to power an LED string for up to one minute, said the research team. The battery thread was then coiled around an elastic strand so that the power source would have a stretchiness to it. This is important, as it gives the battery threads the ability to be pulled and bent many hundreds of times without sacrificing their performance, which would be vital to incorporating it into wearable technology in the form of clothing.
