Flexible Graphene Supercapacitors on Clothes

Extreme cold can be a deadly serious matter when we are out in nature without adequate protection. If you watched the movie Titanic, you may remember Leonardo DiCaprio slipping away in the water as his heart slowed. First aid for hypothermia includes adding more layers of clothing. Or applying an external heat source. Now researchers at Manchester University may have found a third method. Screen-printed, flexible graphene supercapacitors on clothes.

How Flexible Graphene Supercapacitors Could Save Lives

Unlike a battery, a supercapacitor charges fast in seconds. Furthermore it can take millions of recharges without losing capacity. This offers the possibility of hikers trapped in blizzards reheating their bodies by warming their clothes. The research team is printing carbon lattices one atom thick on cotton fabric using graphene-oxide ink. This makes the material stronger, and electrically conductive too. Moreover, it can be folded a hundred times over.

Flexible Graphene Supercapacitors To Transform Wearables

The researchers chose graphene because it stretches up to 20% without breaking. Thus, research paper co-author Nazmul Karim believes “This will open up possibilities of making an environmentally friendly and cost-effective product. A smart e-textile that can store energy, and monitor human activity and physiological condition at the same time.”

“The device is also washable,” his colleague Amor Abdelkader adds. “This makes it practically possible to use it for future smart clothes. We believe this work will open the door for printing other types of devices on textile, using 2D-materials inks.” Does this spell the end of clunky smartwatches bulging with batteries, do you think?

Nazmul Karim cautions against becoming over-excited. “Maintaining the high quality of graphene in a scalable quantity is a huge challenge,” he explains. He thinks the research could shift from flexible graphene supercapacitors to silver or copper screen printing. Because graphene is a relatively poor conductor. Screen-printed supercapacitors on clothing? Now why did we not think of that before!