While most flexible batteries take the form of thin films, Korea-based LG Chem has now engineered flexible batteries which take the form factor of cables.
The long form-factor lithium-ion battery can be tied in knots, worn as a bracelet or woven into textiles. For devices, it can also be integrated, for example as trimming or grips.
The LG Chem battery consists of a spring-like structure of nickel-tin coated copper wire, and the results are published in the paper "Cable-Type Flexible Lithium Ion Battery Based on Hollow Multi-Helix Electrodes".
Even as the battery was twisted and bended, the flexible battery could operate a fourth-generation iPod Shuffle and a LED screen.
LG Chem is now taking steps to ready the battery for mass production, which will open up a new degree of product design innovation. The researchers are also testing new anode materials to boost power delivery.