Get the latest tech news

Scientists made a stretchable lithium battery you can bend, cut, or stab - Ars Technica


Its performance isn’t great, but its endurance is similar to standard lithium-ion.

The Li-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric cars are usually packed in rigid, sealed enclosures that prevent stresses from damaging their components and keep air from coming into contact with their flammable and toxic electrolytes. “All such batteries could [only] operate [for] a short time, sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days,” says Liwei Lin, a mechanical engineering professor at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study. Unfortunately, flexible packaging made of polymers or other stretchable materials can be easily penetrated by air or water, which will react with standard electrolytes, generating lots of heat, potentially resulting in fires and explosions.

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of Scientists

Scientists

Photo of Ars Technica

Ars Technica

Photo of Technica

Technica

Related news:

News photo

Scientists Witness Living Plant Cells Build Their Own Cell Walls for the First Time

News photo

Scientists: Protein IL-17 fights infection, acts on the brain, inducing anxiety

News photo

Scientists Just Uncovered A Major Alzheimer's Finding—And It Involves Ozempic