Korean team claims to create world`s 1st flexible battery

A team of Korean scientists says it has developed the world`s first flexible battery.

Led by Lee Keon-jae, materials science professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, and Ku Min, the team said Tuesday, “We`ve developed the world`s first high-performance flexible battery.”

Though a method for making a printed circuit board and a display flexible had previously existed, commercial production was impossible because of lack of technology to make a bendable battery.

Researchers built lithium cobalt oxide anode on top of mica, a solid material, and added heat of 700 degrees Celsius. After removing mica, they found that the remaining substance became a flexible battery and draped it with plastic, which became a battery with a thickness of 1/10th of a human hair.

“There is no change in the battery`s power before and after bending. It worked well even after the battery was discharged and charged 10,000 times,” the research team said, adding, “It has low risk of explosion because we put a solid electrolyte that tolerates high temperature inside the battery.”

The researchers also developed a portable and flexible electric gadget by attaching the battery to a flexible display.

“We jumped a large hurdle in developing flexible electronic gadgets,” professor Lee said, adding, “If we increase the battery`s capacity, it can be commercialized.”

The breakthrough was recently featured on the online edition of Nano Letters, a prestigious journal of materials science, and in the newsletter of the American Chemical Society. The research team has applied for a patent in Korea and other countries.

ilju2@donga.com