Researchers in China have incorporated relatively powerful lithium-ion wire batteries into textiles — a step towards better power sources for wearable electronics.

Credit: Jing Ren

Lithium-ion batteries in general are more powerful than current wearable energy storage devices, but can short-circuit and combust if stretched or distorted during use. Huisheng Peng, Yonggang Wang and their team at Fudan University, Shanghai, overcame this by incorporating safer lithium-oxide nanoparticles into carbon nanotube yarns. These yarns, which form the batteries' electrodes, were twisted around a piece of elastic, creating a stretchable structure that could be woven into textiles (pictured).

The wire battery produced 10 times more power per cubic centimetre than non-stretchable, thin-film lithium batteries and maintained 84% of its capacity after being stretched 200 times.

Angew. Chem. http://doi.org/f2r6pv (2014)