Researchershave createda soft and stretchable unit that converts movement into electricity and can work in wet environments.
It’s part of a growing effort to find new ways to power personal electronics.
Wei was not involved in the new research.
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“However, today’s Li-ion batteries suffer from safety problems and limited capacity,” Wei added.
The heart of the energy harvester they created is a liquid metal alloy of gallium and indium.
“We have created a unit that can turn this bang out of mechanical motion into electricity.
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And one of its remarkable attributes is that it works perfectly well underwater.”
The researchers are working on another project to power wearable devices by increasing the harvester’s power output.
One approach is to boost the energy density of batteries to increase battery life.
“These projects focus on replacing graphite in the battery with silicon and lithium metal,” Amanchukwu said.
“In essence, the battery becomes a more powerful bomb in the same package.”
“There are also advancements in rechargeable lithium metal batteries which also increase energy density.
