Self-Repairable Electrical Component for Wearables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical components, such as supercapacitors, in wearable devices often suffer from mechanical damage due to stresses like bending, leading to permanent damage and reduced lifespan, necessitating costly replacements and posing risks in critical applications.
Innovation Solution
A self-repairable electrical component with a pliable casing and electrodes featuring a ferromagnetic material for magnetic attraction and a polypyrrole outer layer, allowing the component to restore electrical conductivity and mechanical structure through magnetic and electrostatic self-healing mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If electrical components are made rigid for structural stability, then mechanical strength is improved, but resistance to bending stress and adaptability to wearable applications deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible electrodes made from thin film materials and elastic substrates that can bend and deform without breaking. The electrode structure uses thin conductive layers deposited on flexible substrates, allowing the component to adapt to curved surfaces and bending stresses in wearable applications while maintaining electrical functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structures combining different properties - elastic substrates with conductive coatings, flexible polymers with conductive fillers, and multi-layer constructions that provide both mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity. These composites enable the component to withstand bending while maintaining structural integrity and electrical performance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electrical components are subjected to mechanical stresses during use, then adaptability to wearable applications is improved, but damage and reduced lifespan occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-healing functionality where the component automatically repairs its own damage without external intervention. The self-healing mechanism includes reversible chemical bonds in the polymer matrix that reform after breaking, and flexible electrode structures that maintain electrical pathways despite mechanical damage, allowing the component to restore its functionality after bending or impact events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates damage-tolerant design elements that prevent catastrophic failure under mechanical stress. The flexible substrate and compliant electrode structures act as cushioning elements that absorb and distribute mechanical stresses before they can cause permanent damage to critical electrical pathways, extending the component's lifespan under wearable conditions.
3Reliability
If damaged electrical components are replaced, then reliability is restored, but cost and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The self-healing capability allows the component to automatically restore its own functionality after mechanical damage, eliminating the need for manual replacement or repair. This reduces both the direct cost of replacement components and the indirect costs of downtime and labor, making the system economically advantageous despite the added complexity of self-healing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding damaged components, the patent enables recovery of functionality through self-healing mechanisms. The reversible chemical bonds and flexible structures allow the component to recover its electrical and mechanical properties after damage, extending service life and reducing waste of functional materials.
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 self-repairable component effectively extends its operational lifespan by maintaining electrical functionality and mechanical integrity after multiple damage and healing cycles, with specific capacitance retention exceeding 70% after four self-healing cycles.
Implementation Method 1
the one or more electrodes comprise a ferromagnetic material, the ferromagnetic material providing the one or more electrodes with magnetic properties such that if an electrode is partially damaged or broken, the electrode can self-align by magnetic attraction
Implementation Method 2
the casing is configured to self-repair by electrostatic attraction to restore the physical structure of the casing
Data Source
AI summary
A repairable electrical component includes one or more electrodes and a pliable casing, the one or more electrodes positioned within the pliable casing, wherein the repairable electrical component is configured to self-repair if the repairable electrical component or any part of the repairable component is partially damaged. A method of forming a repairable electrical component includes forming one or more electrodes, the electrodes comprising a core, an intermediate layer of ferromagnetic material and a pyrrole based material defining an outer layer, the outer layer encapsulating the core and ferromagnetic layer, positioning the one or more electrodes within an electrolyte, providing a casing to enclose the one or more electrodes and the electrolyte, the casing formed from a polyurethane material.