We are creating some awesome events for you. Kindly bear with us.

NTU scientists invent editable fabric-like power source for use in wearable electronic devices

NTU scientists invent editable fabric-like power source for use in wearable electronic devices

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
(NTU Singapore) have
created
a customisable, fabric-like power source that can be cut, folded or
stretched without losing its function, and will be of use in wearable
electronic devices.

The team led by Professor Chen Xiaodong, Associate Chair
(Faculty) at the School of Materials Science & Engineering, reported in the
journal Advanced Materials (print edition, January 8) how they have created the
power source, a supercapacitor, which works like a fast-charging battery and
can be recharged many times.

This supercapacitor is customisable or “editable”, meaning that
its structure and shape can be changed after it is manufactured, while
retaining its function as a power source. Existing stretchable supercapacitors
are made into predetermined designs and structures, but the new invention can
be stretched multi-directionally, making it easier to match while combining it
with other electrical components. 

The supercapacitor is made of strengthened manganese dioxide
nanowire composite material, a common material for supercapacitors. However,
the ultralong nanowire structure, strengthened with a network of carbon
nanotubes and nanocellulose fibres, allows the electrodes to withstand the
associated strains during the customisation process. 

When edited into a honeycomb-like structure, the new
supercapacitor has the ability to store an electrical charge four times higher
than most existing stretchable supercapacitors. In addition, when stretched to
four times its original length, it maintains nearly 98 per cent of the initial
ability to store electrical energy, even after 10,000 stretch-and-release
cycles.

Experiments done by Prof. Chen and his team also demonstrated
that when the editable supercapacitor was paired with a sensor and placed on
the human elbow, it performed better than existing stretchable supercapacitors.
The editable supercapacitor was able to provide a stable stream of signals even
when the arm was swinging. These signals are then transmitted wirelessly to
external devices, such as one that captures a patient’s heart rate. 
  

The team has filed a patent for the technology. They believe
that the editable supercapacitor could be easily mass-produced as it would rely
on existing manufacturing technologies. Production cost is estimated to be low at
about SGD$0.13 (USD$0.10) to produce 1 sq cm of the material.

Professor Chen said, “A reliable and editable supercapacitor
is important for development of the wearable electronics industry. It also
opens up all sorts of possibilities in the realm of the ‘Internet-of-Things’
when wearable electronics can reliably power themselves and connect and
communicate with appliances in the home and other environments.”

“My own dream is to one day combine our flexible
supercapacitors with wearable sensors for health and sports performance
diagnostics. With the ability for wearable electronics to power themselves, you
could imagine the day when we create a device that could be used to monitor a
marathon runner during a race with great sensitivity, detecting signals from
both under and over-exertion,” he added.

The NTU team also collaborated with Dr. Loh Xian Jun, Senior
Scientist and Head of the Soft Materials Department at the Institute of
Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), under the Agency for Science,
Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Dr. Loh commented, “Customisable and versatile, these
interconnected, fabric-like power sources are able to offer a plug-and-play
functionality while maintaining good performance. Being highly stretchable,
these flexible power sources are promising next-generation ‘fabric’ energy
storage devices that could be integrated into wearable electronics.”  

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

Send this to a friend