I-Corps: Fabric Supercapacitor for Solar Energy Storage

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种能够收集和储存太阳能的特殊纺织品。拟议技术的潜在应用是替代电源和电池设备。在人们无法获得可靠电网基础设施的偏远农村地区，目前的替代电源是必不可少的。然而，旅行者、徒步旅行者或露营者可能会发现这些替代方案的成本或安全性令人望而却步。被部署到偏远地区的救灾或军事人员可能会发现，除了机动性问题外，目前的电池装置大规模昂贵，燃料解决方案对那些向处于恶劣环境中的人供应燃料的人来说是有风险的。使用这项拟议的技术，徒步旅行者或士兵的背包可能会变成一种电源。可以在袋子里缝一个太阳能电池来收集太阳能，太阳能将被袋子超级电容器储存起来。同样，织物超级电容器可以嵌入帐篷材料中，使帐篷也成为太阳能电源。一个可持续的、自给自足的系统使旅行者可以前往偏远地区，也可以让部署在军事行动中的士兵使用。这个i-Corps项目是基于一种制造光纤超级电容器(FSCS)的技术的开发。所提出的技术包括各种织物材料、织物的结构设计和一种新颖的制作方法。FSC器件的储能能力将由用于形成超级电容器结构的织物区域的大小决定。与传统的超级电容器相比，所提出的FSC技术具有灵活、重量轻、安全等优点。此外，可弯曲、可扭曲、可滚动和可折叠的设计提供了传统超级电容器可能无法获得的空间。该技术的演示表明，四个串联超级电容器照亮红色LED超过130分钟，仍然保持1.61V左右的电压输出。超级电容器在0-180度角的循环弯曲中很敏感，而不会失去性能。建议的全织物FSC技术可能会被应用到许多获得太阳能收集和电力存储功能的纺织产品中。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a special textile product capable of harvesting and storing solar energy. The potential application of the proposed technology is for alternative power supplies and battery devices. Current alternative power supplies are indispensable in remote rural areas where people lack access to reliable power grid infrastructure. However, travelers, hikers, or campers may find these alternatives cost- or safety-prohibitive. Disaster relief or military personnel deployed to remote areas may find that in addition to the mobility issues, current battery devices are costly on a large scale and fuel solutions are risky for those supplying fuel to those situated in hostile environments. Using the proposed technology, a hiker’s or soldier’s backpack may be turned into a power supply. A solar cell may be sewn into the bag to harvest solar energy that will be stored by the bag supercapacitor. Similarly, the fabric supercapacitor may be embedded into tent material, making the tent into a solar power supply as well. A sustainable, self-powered system make it possible for travelers to remote areas or for soldiers deployed for military operations. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology for making fabric supercapacitors (FSCs). The proposed technology includes various fabric materials, structural design of the fabric, and a novel fabrication approach. The energy storage ability of the FSC device will be determined by the size of the fabric areas used for forming the supercapacitor structure. Compared with conventional supercapacitors, the proposed FSC technology is flexible, light weight, and safe. In addition, the bendable, twistable, rollable, and foldable design provides space that may be inaccessible to conventional supercapacitors. A demonstration of the technology showed that four series supercapacitors illuminated a red LED for more than 130 min and still maintained a voltage output around 1.61 V. The supercapacitor was susceptible to cyclic bending in 0-180 degree angles without losing its performance. The proposed all-fabric FSC technology potentially may be adopted into many textile products acquiring the functions of solar energy harvesting and electric power storage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.