While flexible and stretchable electronics
technologies have progressed in leaps and bounds over the past 10
years, batteries to power them have some catching up to do.
Researchers in Singapore and China have now demonstrated a
“quasi-solid-state” battery—made from materials somewhere between a
liquid and a solid—that can be compressed by as much as 60% while
maintaining high energy density and good stability over 10,000
charge–recharge cycles. The battery fabrication exploits 3-D
printing, which, while attracting interest for producing complex
battery structures, has posed challenges for batteries that can
stretch, squash and bend while powering devices.
