3D‐Printed Silicone Substrates as Highly Deformable Electrodes for Stretchable Li‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

Stretchable energy storage devices receive a considerable attention at present due to their growing demand for powering wearable electronics. A vital component in stretchable energy storage devices is its electrode which should endure a large and repeated number of mechanical deformations during its prolonged use. It is crucial to develop a technology to fabricate highly deformable electrode in an easy and an economic manner. Here, the fabrication of stretchable electrode substrates using 3D‐printing technology is reported. The ink for fabricating it contains a mixture of sacrificial sugar particles and polydimethylsiloxane resin which solidifies upon thermal curing. The printed stretchable substrate attains a porous structure after leaching the sugar particles in water. The resulting printed porous stretchable substrates are then utilized as electrodes for Li‐ion batteries (LIBs) after loading them with electrode materials. The batteries with stretchable electrodes exhibit a decent electrochemical performance comparable to that of the conventional electrodes. The stretchable electrodes also exhibit a stable electrochemical performance under various mechanical deformations and even after several hundreds of stretch/release cycles. This work provides a feasible route for constructing LIBs with high stretchability and enhanced electrochemical performance thereby providing a platform for realizing stretchable batteries for next generation wearable electronics.

Mechanics and electrochemistry in nature-inspired functional batteries: fundamentals, configurations and devices

“…11f). 202 The porosity of the stretchable substrate for 3D printing can be achieved by leaching sugar powder particles with water. Then, the obtained porous stretchable substrate is loaded onto the battery material and used as the stretchable electrode for lithium-ion batteries.…”

“…(e) Finite element analysis results of the printed LFP cathode under different tensile states. (f) Schematic illustration of stretchable electrode production starting from 3D-printing, leaching, drying, electrode material loading, to battery assembling 202. (g) Schematic illustration of the fabrication process of a 3D printed stretchable electrode 203.…”

Sustainable stretchable batteries for next-generation wearables

“…125 The full cell was able to withstand stretching at 50% strain over 50 cycles. Although unsustainable, the printing of fluid-based liquid 126 and Li-ion 126,127 electrode composites demonstrates the potential of this method as a feasible manufacturing process. 84 The main challenge for solution-based methods is the preparation and optimisation of inks for battery components that consist of biodegradable materials and green solvents, an area which has not been widely explored.…”

A thin, intrinsically stretchable MXene-MWCNTs/polymer current collector for deformable aqueous Li-ion batteries

“…The resulting aqueous LIBs delivered stable power to a LED even under 100% strain. Besides, using 3D porous structures with PDMS [48][49][50][51] or PU 31 templates and coupling with conductive llers is another viable strategy to construct bulk conductive current collectors. These sponge-like structures provide a greater surface area for contact with active materials, allowing for increased loadings.…”