Stretchable system could self-power wearable devices

According to the research team led by Huanyu ‘Larry’ Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle career development professor in Penn State’s Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, the use of micro-supercapacitors can enable a ‘stretchable’, self-powered system for use in health-monitoring devices without the ‘shortcomings’ of current batteries and supercapacitors such as low energy density and limited stretchability.

“While working on gas sensors and other wearable devices, we always need to combine these devices with a battery for powering,” said Cheng. “Using micro-supercapacitors gives us the ability to self-power the sensor without the need for a battery.”

Micro-supercapacitors are energy storage devices that can complement or replace lithium-ion batteries, with a small footprint, high power density and the ability to charge and discharge quickly. Cheng noted that when fabricated for wearable devices, conventional micro-supercapacitors have a stacked geometry displaying poor flexibility, long ion diffusion distances and a complex integration process.

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