These ‘jelly batteries’ could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy.Researchers have created soft, stretchable “jelly batteries” that have potential applications in wearable technology, soft robotics, and even brain implants for drug delivery or treating conditions like epilepsy.
“It’s difficult to design a material that is both highly stretchable and highly conductive, since those two properties are normally at odds with one another,” said first author Stephen O’Neill.These self-healing jelly batteries can stretch to more than ten times their original length without losing conductivity, marking a significant breakthrough in combining stretchability and conductivity in a single material.
“Normally, hydrogels are made of polymers that have a neutral charge, but if we charge them, they can become conductive,”co-author Dr. Jade McCune. “And by changing the salt component of each gel, we can make them sticky and squish them together in multiple layers, so we can build up a larger energy potential.”
The hydrogels adhere strongly to each other thanks to reversible bonds formed between different layers, utilizing barrel-shaped molecules called cucurbiturils, which act like molecular handcuffs.
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Source: Nature - 🏆 64. / 68 Read more »