Stanford researchers develop “energy textiles”

Wearables

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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March 31st, 2010 2

A team at Stanford University has produced batteries and basic capacitors using textiles and nanoparticle-infused ink.

The team had previously developed paper batteries and supercapacitors using a similar process, but the new energy textiles exhibited some clear advantages over their paper predecessors. With a reported energy density of 20 Watt-hours per kilogram, a piece of eTextile weighing 0.3 kilograms (about an ounce, the approximate weight of a T-shirt) could hold up to three times more energy than a cell phone battery.

Update: As @jasongreen points out on Twitter, that should be “0.3 kilograms (about 10 ounces…” [Thanks, Jason!]

[Thanks, Alden!]

20 watt-hours per kilogram from ETextile

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