Transparent battery stores and generates energy

Scheme of the layers and photo of the prototype, which is flexible in addition to transparent. [Image: 10.1021 / acsami.8b20143]

Transparent rechargeable battery

Researchers from South Korea have created a fully transparent and flexible battery prototype.

More than that, they added a number of other features, composing an almost totally transparent device prototype.

Using a graphene film as an electrode and a "semi-solid" electrolyte, the battery achieves a level of transparency of 77.4%.

In addition, the team designed the structure with self-loading and storage functions. This was done by inserting a power storage panel - a supercapacitor - inside the top layer of the device, and a power conversion panel - a nanogenerator - inside the bottom layer.

That is, it is possible to charge the battery by tightening it or taking advantage of natural movements such as the floor, which makes the device suitable for dressing applications.

Finally, a touch-sensitive layer was placed just below the top-tier power storage panel, allowing you to create a transparent whole device.

"We decided to start this research because we were impressed with the transparent smartphones that appear in the movies.While there is still a long way to go because of high production costs, we will do our best to further this technology now that we have achieved this success in the field of transparent energy storage, "said Professor Changsoon Choi of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST).

Bibliography:  Single-Layer Graphene-Based Transparent and Flexible Multifunctional Electronics for Self-Charging Power and Touch-Sensing Systems Sungwoo Chun, Wonkyeong Son, Gwangyeob Lee, Shi Hyeong Kim, Jong Woo Park, Seon Jeong Kim, Changhyun Pang, Changsoon Choi ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces  DOI: 10.1021 / acsami.8b20143