Printed waterproof textiles have embedded energy storage

At the heart of the technology are graphene supercapacitors, powerful and long-lasting energy storage devices that can easily be combined with solar or other sources of power. The RMIT team used laser printing to embed the supercapacitors into fabrics. According to the researchers, the technique can produce a 10x10cm smart textile patch in three minutes that's waterproof, stretchable and easily integrated with energy harvesting technology. It’s believed the e-textiles could have applications in consumer, healthcare and defence markets. 

In a proof-of-concept, the team connected the supercapacitor with a solar cell, delivering an efficient, washable and self-powering smart fabric that they claim overcomes the key drawbacks of existing e-textile energy storage technologies. The research analysed the performance of the textile across a range of mechanical, temperature and washability tests and found it remained stable and efficient. The work is published in Scientific Reports.