Dip-coating processed sponge-based electrodes for stretchable Zn-MnO2 batteries

• Published in: Nano research Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 1554 - 1562
• Main Authors: Zhu, Hong-Wu, Ge, Jin, Peng, Yu-Can, Zhao, Hao-Yu, Shi, Lu-An, Yu, Shu-Hong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Tsinghua University Press 01.03.2018
• Subjects: Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Chemistry and Materials Science; Coated electrodes; Condensed Matter Physics; Conductors; Diodes; Dip coatings; Electrodes; Electronics; Fabrication; Immersion coating; Light emitting diodes; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Manganese; Manganese dioxide; Manufacturing industry; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Nanowires; Organic light emitting diodes; Pressure sensors; Primary batteries; Rechargeable batteries; Research Article; Silver; Stretchability; Wearable technology; Zinc; Zinc oxide; 锂离子电池;海绵;电极;便携设备;压力传感器;应用程序;高电导率;网络结构; silver nanowires; sponge; Zn-MnO; stretchable battery; battery; binary network structure
• ISSN: 1998-0124; 1998-0000
• DOI: 10.1007/s12274-017-1771-4

Stretchable electronics are in high demand for next-generation wearable devices, but their fabrication is still challenging. Stretchable conductors, flexible pressure sensors, and foldable light-emitting diodes （LEDs） have been reported; however, the fabrication of stable stretchable batteries, as power suppliers for wearable devices, is significantly behind the development of other stretchable electronics. Several stretchable lithium-ion batteries and primary batteries have been fabricated, but their low capacities and complicated manufacturing processes are obstacles for practical applications. Herein, we report a stretchable zinc/manganese-oxide （Zn-MnO2） full battery based on a silver-nanowire- coated sponge prepared via a facile dip-coating process. The spongy electrode, with a three-dimensional （3D） binary network structure, provided not only high conductivity and stretchability, but also enabled a high mass loading of electrochemically active materials （Zn and MnO2 particles）. The fabricated Zn-MnO2 battery exhibited an areal capacity as high as 3.6 mAh·cm^-2 and could accommodate tensile strains of up to 100% while retaining 89% of its original capacity. The facile solution-based strategy of dip-coating active materials onto a cheap sponge-based stretchable current collector opens up a new avenue for fabricating stretchable batteries.