Wearable technologies such as smart watches, fitness-tracking bands and smart running shoes can help monitor health conditions. For these wearable electronics using textile lithium battery, stable energy supply is as crucial as flexibility and comfortability.

To improve the performance of bendable lithium battery for use in wearable devices, Prof. Zheng Zi-jian of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing and his team developed a lightweight lithium battery which demonstrates excellent flexibility and high energy density of more than 450 Wh/L. Less than 0.5 mm thick, this type of textile lithium battery not only possesses fast charging and discharging capability, but also has a longer cycle life compared to conventional lithium batteries.

To achieve these qualities, the research team applied PolyU’s patented technology in Polymer-Assisted Metal Deposition to uniformly and conformally deposit highly conductive metal, copper and nickel onto pre-treated fabrics. Active materials are added to the metallic fabrics as cathode and anode before assembling with separator and electrolyte to become the novel textile lithium battery.

The innovation won a Gold Medal and two Special Merit Awards at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. The research findings have been published in leading scientific journal Nature Communications. Details>>