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Researchers develop flexible chargeable batteries

Rebecca Kuo, Tainan; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES Asia

A research team in Taiwan has disclosed it has developed flexible (bendable) chargeable batteries based on magnesium fabric.

The team leader, Hung Fei-yi, a professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), said the batteries use magnesium alloy/ceramic powder and nonwoven fabric produced by KNH Enterprise.

A small patch (1.5cm in diameter) of such a fully-charged battery can support over 36-hour continued lighting by an LED light bulb, Hung said.

Some types of chargeable batteries run the risk of explosion when batteries are ovcercharged, but magnesium fabric-based ones featuring no electrolytic solutions are safe and environmentally friendly, Hung noted.

The flexible chargeable batteries can be stacked to increase power storage capacity and multi-layer packaged into battery packs for electric vehicles (EV), Hung indicated.

Based on global literature concerned, all of available solid-state chargeable batteries are inflexible, therefore magnesium fabric-based chargeable batteries are the world's first flexible solid-state model, Hung indicated.

Magnesium fabric-based flexible chargeable batteries

Magnesium fabric-based flexible chargeable batteries
Photo: NCKU