Page 80 - Demo

78Bendable vs foldableBatteries, as we know them, are usually cylindrical. Like the batteries we put into a TV remote control, they are rigid and often bulky. This is because they need a hard, sturdy case to protect the brittle metal foils inside. But times have changed. Nowadays, rechargeable batteries can be as thin as 0.5mm, with the flexibility of a soft fabric that can be folded neatly and tucked into a drawer. To keep up with the expanding market in intelligent textiles, Prof. Zheng led a team to develop a textile-based lithium-ion battery. The team replaced the fragile metal foils found in traditional batteries with a conductive fabric that is both flexible and resilient. Cotton, PET and nylon fibres are coated with a polymer that bonds thin metal films to the fibres so well that the metal stays attached to the fibres even if the battery is distressed and warped. While other companies are also developing bendable batteries, Prof. Zheng%u2019s start-up, EightOSix, has pioneered to use a metal-coated fabric as the electrode material. Its battery is also the only truly foldable option available, with a bending radius of about 1mm.POWER THAT BENDSDIGGING DEEPER