Kirigami Battery Stretchability via Segmentation and Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible and stretchable batteries are limited by their planar state, restricting their deformability and integration into portable and wearable electronic devices due to uneven surfaces and limited stretchability beyond the planar state.
Innovation Solution
The development of kirigami-based batteries that utilize folding and cutting patterns to create even surfaces, allowing for stretching beyond the planar state through rotation and bending, enabling enhanced deformability and integration into various devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard LIBs are folded using origami methods to achieve deformability, then the battery can be incorporated into portable and wearable electronic devices, but the stretchability is limited from the folded state to the planar state and the surface becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is divided into multiple unit cells that are connected in a specific pattern. Each unit cell can be independently folded or stretched, allowing the overall battery to achieve large deformations while maintaining surface evenness. The segmentation enables the battery to overcome the limitation of traditional origami methods where the entire structure must fold uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery employs a nested structure where unit cells are arranged in a hierarchical pattern with smaller cells nested within larger structural frameworks. This nesting allows the battery to compact efficiently while maintaining an even surface when deployed, and enables stretching beyond the planar state by expanding the nested layers.
2Adaptability or versatility
If origami folding is used to create flexible batteries, then the battery achieves bendability, but the stretchability beyond the planar state is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The battery structure transitions from static origami folds to dynamic expandable configurations. The unit cells are designed to dynamically reconfigure during stretching, allowing the battery to expand in multiple directions beyond the planar state while maintaining structural integrity and electrochemical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery design adds dimensional freedom by allowing expansion in three dimensions rather than being constrained to two-dimensional planar folding. The unit cell architecture enables volumetric expansion while maintaining an even external surface, effectively adding a third dimension of deformability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the battery is designed to be highly stretchable, then it can be integrated into various wearable devices, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process utilizes parameter changes in the unit cell geometry and arrangement to achieve different stretchability levels. By adjusting simple parameters such as cell size, spacing, and connection patterns, the battery can be customized for different applications without fundamentally changing the manufacturing process, thereby reducing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The kirigami batteries demonstrate over 100% stretchability with stable electrochemical and mechanical performance, capable of powering devices like smart watches, and offer a scalable solution for wearable electronics with improved energy density and durability.
Implementation Method 1
The principle of the invention is to utilize rotation and/or bending of the interconnection and structure to release the stress during stretching and twisting the system to produce stretchability
Implementation Method 2
utilize rotation and/or bending of the interconnection and structure to release the stress during stretching
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is directed to a flexible and stretchable battery which is formed of an assembly having anode side and a cathode side separated by a separator and sealed in a packaging. The assembly is in a folded configuration and contains at least one cut therein, such that when the assembly is unfolded and subjected to subsequent deformation, a final folded state of the battery is able to stretch beyond a flat planar state of the battery in all dimensions.