Surface Strain Redistribution on Structured Microfibers to Enhance Sensitivity of Fiber-Shaped Stretchable Strain Sensors

Stretchy sensors get a power boost

29 March 2018

A stretchy power source that can be cut like fabric could make wearable sensors a touch more practical. 

Building a flexible and durable supercapacitor, a rechargeable power source, is challenging, as repeated stretching can reduce its performance. A team including researchers from Nanyang Technological University made a stretchy supercapacitor from an elastic microfiber, and spread microbeads across its surface. The beads redistribute the strain when the material is bent, concentrating it in the areas between the beads. The material can be cut into any shape, stretched in any direction, and folded around any object without hampering its performance. The supercapacitor retained 98 per cent of its initial energy storage capacity after being stretched and released 5,000 times. 

The new material can be woven into elastic clothing and could be used in wearable sensors that monitor exertion during exercise.

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References

1. Advanced Materials 30, 1704229 (2017). doi: 10.1002/adma.201704229