Flexible and Stretchable Energy Storage: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

TLDR

Energy‑storage technologies such as lithium‑ion batteries and supercapacitors are essential to modern society, and the growing demand for flexible and wearable electronics has spurred advances in multifunctional systems that can bend, fold, crumple, and stretch while retaining electrochemical performance. The paper reviews recent progress and strategies for flexible and stretchable lithium‑ion batteries and supercapacitors, and discusses future perspectives and opportunities in this emerging field. The review examines strategies for flexible and stretchable energy‑storage devices, addressing challenges in developing tailored materials, configurations, and scalable manufacturing methods.

Abstract

Energy-storage technologies such as lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors have become fundamental building blocks in modern society. Recently, the emerging direction toward the ever-growing market of flexible and wearable electronics has nourished progress in building multifunctional energy-storage systems that can be bent, folded, crumpled, and stretched while maintaining their electrochemical functions under deformation. Here, recent progress and well-developed strategies in research designed to accomplish flexible and stretchable lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors are reviewed. The challenges of developing novel materials and configurations with tailored features, and in designing simple and large-scaled manufacturing methods that can be widely utilized are considered. Furthermore, the perspectives and opportunities for this emerging field of materials science and engineering are also discussed.