New flexible battery stacks millimeter-level miniature lithium batteries together

When we talk about batteries or power units used in electronic devices, most people think of a block structure that occupies a large space inside the device. For mobile phones and notebooks, this may be true, but when it comes to ultra-thin wearable sensors and similar products, the situation is different.

Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing a new type of power supply method, which is said to be thin and flexible. Cut a large lithium-ion battery into small pieces and connect them through a retractable circuit. Combining a very small battery with a retractable circuit allows the power supply solution to have this thin, bendable, and retractable property.

These researchers use millimeter-level solid-state lithium-ion batteries to create this flexible battery. As mentioned above, the tiny lithium-ion battery uses a retractable circuit to connect to the solar cell and is placed on a single-layer flexible substrate. In the device, fold it up, and the solar cell can be placed on top of the battery. The researchers demonstrated this technology by fusing batteries and solar cells into one device. The device uses thermal sensors and NFC to track and record the user's body temperature.

This thin device itself can stretch up to 30% without affecting the solar function; it has also passed tests in people riding, bathing, etc. . Due to the ultra-thin nature of the sensor, the wearer often forgets its existence. This kind of sensor has the potential to be applied to the medical field in the future. It is used for wireless transmission of patient data in hospitals, so that medical personnel can put their experience beyond the monitoring equipment of vital signs.