Stretchable micro-supercapacitors to self-power wearable devices

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at Penn State, found that arranging micro-supercapacitor cells in a serpentine, island-bridge layout allows the configuration to stretch and bend at the bridges, while reducing deformation of the micro-supercapacitors. The researchers used non-layered, ultrathin zinc-phosphorus nanosheets and 3D laser-induced graphene foam – a highly porous, self-heating nanomaterial – to construct the island-bridge design of the cells and noticed that these micro-supercapacitor arrays can charge and discharge efficiently and store the energy needed to power a wearable device.