Stretchable fabric-based lithium-ion battery

In many applications ranging from wearable devices to implantable biosensors, next-generation electronics are expected to be stretchable which necessitates a concomitant development of fully stretchable batteries. Stretchable lithium-ion batteries must provide stable performance while subjected to mechanical deformations such as stretching, bending, and twisting. Although there has been a noticeable progress in the development of flexible energy storage devices, stretchable lithium-ion batteries still face several persistent challenges. While in a prior work we successfully presented a proof-of-concept that rendered just the cathode to be stretchable, in this work we present the design, fabrication and characterization of a complete fully stretchable fabric-based lithium ion battery. The electrochemical and mechanical performances of the fabric-based battery are investigated and discussed. Solid polymer electrolyte stretchable fabric-based battery offers a more compatible and safer alternative to liquid based batteries, especially for the application of textile wearable devices that may involve intimate contact with human skin and organs. We demonstrate that our fabric-based battery can stretch up to 15% strain without a significant increase in its internal impedance.