A Cotton T-shirt May One Day Charge Your Cell Phone

Two engineers at the University of South Carolina conducted research that showed a modified store-bought T-shirt can act like a supercapacitor and store an electrical charge. “We wear fabric every day,” said Xiaodong Li, a professor of mechanical engineering at the school. “One day our cotton T-shirts could have more functions; for example, a flexible energy storage device that could charge your cell phone or your iPad.” Li and his associates used a store-bought T-shirt, which was then soaked in a fluoride solution and baked at a high temperature in an oxygen-free oven. Once removed, the resulting fibers were converted from cellulose to activated carbon capable of storage an electrical charge.

“We will soon see roll-up cell phones and laptop computers on the market,” Li said, according to Innovation News Daily. “But a flexible energy storage device is needed to make this possible.” The engineer notes that the activated carbon textile acts like a supercapacitor, because they can have “particularly high energy storage densities.”

The duo coated the shirt’s fibers with a nanometer layer of manganese oxide, which greatly enhanced the material’s electricity-storing ability. “This created a stable, high-performing supercapacitor,” said Li. The team discovered the fabric capacitor could charge and discharge thousands of times with minimal loss of performance.

The method used for making the fabric capacitor is not only inexpensive, but it is also green and doesn’t use chemicals that are harmful to the environment. The research could lead to clothing or even furniture that can one day charge or even control certain electronics.

Prateek Panda

Prateek is the Founder of TheTechPanda. He's passionate about technology startups and entrepreneurship and enjoys speaking to new founders every day. Prateek has also been consistently regarded as one of the top marketing experts in the region.

Recent Posts

Investment temperament: NFO for 5 index funds, health funds for Early to Late-Stage Capital & to transform India’s healthcare landscape

The Tech Panda takes a look at the investment temperament in the Indian startup ecosystem.…

2 hours ago

Tweets, tips & trading: X doubles down on payments power play

Big Tech is no longer content with just running user feeds, they want wallets too.…

3 hours ago

PayPal World: Swipe right on global shopping

Indian shoppers could be shopping internationally using their UPI accounts sitting at home, thanks to…

3 days ago

Cheaper OTPs, smarter chats: WhatsApp takes aim at SMS dominance

The SMS as a tool to connect with customers might be coming to an end.…

3 days ago

Will our fintechs become our mobile service providers?

Looks like finance and connectivity will come together soon in our devices. Recently, UK fintech…

3 days ago

New tech on the block: Digital infrastructure, cloud, Digital Transformation, cryptocurrency, medtech, cybersecurity, social media & pharmacology

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent tech launches. Digital Infrastructure: End-to-end solution to…

4 days ago