New way of twisting fibers improves energy storage in wearable devices
Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a new method to improve energy storage in flexible, wearable electronics. The new technique, called the ‘synchronous twisting method’, significantly boosts the performance of fiber-shaped batteries. This advancement holds the potential to change how we power our gadgets in the future, making portable, flexible energy sources more efficient and reliable. The research results are published in Science Advances.
In an increasingly digital world, where wearable electronics like fitness trackers and smart clothing for health monitoring are becoming essential, powering these devices in an efficient way has been a challenge. Traditional batteries are bulky and rigid, limiting their use in wearable tech. Fiber-shaped batteries and supercapacitors, however, offer a more flexible solution — they can be woven directly into textiles, making electronics lighter and more comfortable to wear.
But until now, there has been a significant technical hurdle: as the length of these fiber-shaped devices increases, their performance tends to decrease. New research at KU Leuven balanced that problem, allowing more efficient fiber batteries to be created without sacrificing performance through radial scalability.
‘Wearables are getting smarter and becoming more integrated into our daily lives. With our method, we’ve significantly increased the energy storage capacity, allowing for the creation of more efficient, powerful devices that can power themselves over long periods. This leap forward means we could soon see more advanced, longer-lasting, and lighter wearable devices, from smart fabrics to medical implants,’ says PhD student Zhenyu Zhou.
Twisting fibers
The team developed a new technique known as the synchronous twisting method (STM) to solve one of the biggest challenges in creating fiber-shaped batteries: radial scalability.
‘The problem has long been that as you try to make these devices longer, their performance tends to drop because the current doesn’t distribute evenly along their length. STM fixes this by twisting the fiber components in a way that ensures a more stable arrangement and better distribution of current, even under stress like bending or stretching,’ explains Professor in Materials Engineering Jan Fransaer. ‘Using this method, we were able to build fiber-shaped batteries and supercapacitors that maintain high energy density and performance, even when integrated into wearable textiles.’
Flexible and durable
The team’s innovation not only improves the capacity and efficiency of these batteries but also their flexibility and durability, key traits for devices used in everyday life. The ability to scale these energy storage systems will be critical as we move toward a more widespread use of wearable technology in areas such as health monitoring, environmental sensors, and even next-generation textiles.