Narrow Results

A compressible single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) sponge was developed by a superfast flame burning method in less than 20s by moving polyurethane (PU) sponge template coated with SWNTs through an ethanol flame. By adjusting the geometries of the templates, the arbitrary shapes of the SWNT sponges composed of a unique network structure could be prepared as required. The SWNT sponges possessing good hydrophobicity and outstanding organic solvent adsorption capacity could adsorb various organic solvents and oils with high adsorption rate and good adsorption–volatilization and adsorption–combustion recycling performance. The SWNT sponges present good elasticity and compression stability even after a compressive strain of 80% and the 1000th loading/unloading cycle due to the stable skeleton structures. The SWNT sponges as flexible electrodes could also achieve high-specific capacitance of 126.8Fg${}^{-1}$ at 1Ag${}^{-1}$ and 95% capacitance retention after 10 000 charge/discharge cycles. Owing to the availability of the flame, easy decomposition of the PU sponge and flame resistance of SWNTs, this facile flame burning method was demonstrated to be a practical approach to prepare the SWNT sponges on a large scale with controllable shape and density, moderate organic liquid adsorption capability, good elasticity and decent electromechanical properties.

In this work, innate free-standing and flexible anode composed of entangled N-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is fabricated by a facile annealing method following a simple compression without needing any tedious processing operations. The well cross-linked CNTs of the resultant free-standing anode enable robust diffusion channels for lithium ions and high flexibility. Served as the anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) without the utilization of binder and current collector, the fabricated free-standing electrode can deliver a reversible area capacity of 2.14mAhcm${}^{-2}$ at 1mAcm${}^{-2}$ with superior cycling stability and excellent rate capability. The obtained reversible area capacity for the fabricated free-standing electrode material is much higher than that of the commercial graphite anode ($\sim 0.6$mAhcm${}^{-2}$ at 1mAcm${}^{-2}$). Furthermore, the assembled full flexible battery utilizing the fabricated free-standing electrode also exhibits attractive performance and can substantially supply power for an electronic watch at flat and 180^∘ bending positions, indicating the promising application in flexible electronic devices.

Flexible electronics has gained great interest in emerging wearable or rolling-up gadgets, such as foldable displays, electronic papers, and other personal multimedia devices. Subsequently, there is a need to develop energy storage devices that are pliable, inexpensive, and lightweight. Metal–air batteries have been identified as one of alternative energy storages for cost effective and high energy density applications. They offer cheaper production cost and higher energy density than most of the currently available battery technologies. Thus, they are promising candidates for flexible energy storage devices. Flexible metal–air batteries have to maintain their performances during various mechanical deformations. To date, efforts have been focused on fabricating flexible components for metal–air batteries. This review presents a brief introduction to the field, followed by progress on development of flexible electrolytes, electrodes, and prototype devices. Challenges and outlook towards the practical use of metal–air batteries are given in the last part.

Dielectric electro active polymer (DEAP) is a suitable actuator material that finds wide applications in the field of robotics and medical areas. This material is highly controllable, flexible, and capable of developing large strain. The influence of geometrical behavior becomes critical when the material is used as miniaturized actuation devices in robotic applications. The present work focuses on the effect of surface topography on the performance of flat (single sheet) and stacked-rolled DEAP actuators. The non-active areas in the form of elliptical spots that affect the performance of the actuator are identified using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dissipated X-ray (EDX) experiments. Performance of DEAP actuation is critically evaluated, compared, and presented with analytical and experimental results.

With the rise of flexible electronics, flexible rechargeable batteries have attracted widespread attention as a promising power source in new generation flexible electronic devices. In this work, $\alpha$-Fe₂O₃ nanorods grown on carbon cloth have been synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method as binder-free electrode material. The electrochemical performance measurements show that $\alpha$-Fe₂O₃ nanorods possess high specific capacitance and specific capacity retention of 119% after 100 cycles. The combination of low-cost and excellent electrochemical performance makes $\alpha$-Fe₂O₃ nanorods promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

With the rise of flexible electronics, flexible rechargeable batteries have attracted widespread attention as a promising power source in new generation flexible electronic devices. In this work, α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods grown on carbon cloth have been synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method as binder-free electrode material. The electrochemical performance measurements show that α-Fe₂O₃3 nanorods possess high specific capacitance and specific capacity retention of 119% after 100 cycles. The combination of low cost and excellent electrochemical performance makes α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.