A team led by an Indian-origin scientist in the US has developed filaments that harvest and store the sun’s energy and can be woven into textiles which can power phones, personal health sensors and other gadgets. This technological breakthrough would essentially turn jackets and other clothing into wearable, solar-powered batteries that never need to be plugged in, state the researchers.
Jayan Thomas, Associate Professor, University of Central Florida, US averred, “The idea came to me – We make energy-storage devices and we make solar cells in the labs. Why not combine these two devices together?” while adding that it is hard for the military to deliver batteries to soldiers in hostile environments. A garment like this can harvest and store energy at the same time if sunlight is available.
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The research team has developed filaments in the form of copper ribbons that are thin, flexible and lightweight. The ribbons have a solar cell on one side and energy-storing layers on the other. These ribbons were then woven using a table top loom into a square of yarn.
Proof-of-concept shows that the filaments could be laced throughout jackets or other outwear to harvest and store energy to power phones, personal health sensors and other tech gadgets. It is an advancement that overcomes the main shortcoming of solar cells – the energy they produce must flow into the power grid or be stored in a battery that limits their portability.