A new battery can be bent, crushed or stretched three times

Modern electronics are becoming not only smaller and more powerful, but also more flexible. In the coming years, we expect the appearance of clothes made from “smart” fabric, monitors that can be rolled into a tube, and other gadgets based on flexible microcircuits.

However, for a gadget to be truly flexible, its battery must also be flexible - and with this everything is still more complicated. Only recently have American developers been able to demonstrate a lithium-ion battery that bends, wrinkles and stretches easily.

The device consists of hundreds of small (and inflexible) disk electrodes embedded in an elastic silicone substrate. The electrons bind thin wires together in the form of flat springs that can twist, bend, and stretch, much like the coiled wire from an old telephone receiver. This structure allows the battery to stretch up to 300% of its normal size without losing functionality.

The prototype created by the authors does not differ in size or power from conventional lithium-ion batteries. However, it is also equipped with another advanced technology - an additional “charging” coil, which allows you to charge the battery wirelessly, through electromagnetic induction.