I2I Phase 1: Optimization of a flexible hybrid electrochemical energy storage system for wearable devices

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Electrochemical energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors are required more than ever to fulfill the demand of the present and the future energy landscape. While batteries can store a relatively large amount of energy, the transfer rate of energy is rather slow. In contrast, supercapacitors have fast energy transfer abilities but store only a low amount of energy. Hence, it is desirable to create battery-supercapacitor hybrids which combine the advantages of both concepts. Our group recently invented a novel battery-supercapacitor hybrid which is simple to manufacture and consists of abundant, environmentally-benign and relatively cost effective materials. It also has fast charging abilities and is very thin and mechanically flexible. It is therefore very suitable to power wearable electronics and smart textiles. In the current project, we optimize the design of the hybrid to further improve its energy content while at the same increasing the duration the energy can be stored. We also develop a larger prototype that can be used to charge a lithium-ion battery powered wearable device such as a smartwatch or fitness tracker to increase the technology level and to demonstrate the potential for commercialisation of our invention.