Fudan University, China, announces that a research team led by Prof. Huisheng Peng has developed stretchable, pliable supercapacitor fibers with shape memory. The fibers are made using a core of polyurethane fiber with shape memory. This fiber is wrapped with a thin layer of parallel carbon nanotubes like a sheet of paper. This is followed by a coating of electrolyte gel, a second sheet of carbon nanotubes, and a final layer of electrolyte gel. The two layers of carbon nanotubes act as electrodes for the supercapacitor. Above a certain temperature, the fibers produced in this process can be bent and stretched to twice their original length. The new shape can be “frozen” by cooling. Reheating allows the fibers to return to their original shape and size, after which they can be reshaped again. The electrochemical performance is fully maintained through all shape changes.
Weaving the fibers into tissues results in “smart” textiles that could be tailored to fit different people. This could be used to make precisely fitted but reusable electronic monitoring systems for patients in hospitals, for example. The perfect fit should render them both more comfortable and more reliable.
This information was published in the 3 November 2015 journal Angewandte Chemie (“A Shape-Memory Supercapacitor Fiber”).
