Effect of Dynamic Folding with Varying Fold Orientations and C-rates on Flexible Power Source Capacity Degradation

The major contributor to the boost in flexible power source research is the growing need for wearable devices, fitness accessories and biomedical equipment. Flexible batteries are required to sustain repetitive mechanical stresses during motion in addition to the usual desirable features such as high capacity, fast charge capability and low susceptibility towards degradation. The investigation of cyclic deformation of batteries is limited and the reported studies are conducted for a shorter number of flex cycles and that too with manual flexing instead of a deformation setup. The purpose of this research is to understand the degradation behavior of lithium ion batteries subjected to cyclic flexing deformation along with accelerated deep charge-discharge life cycling. Furthermore, the power sources are tested for the combined effect of mechanical and electrical loads by varying the charge C-Rate. By measuring the battery current and terminal voltage, assessment of its capacity and battery state of health is conducted. Finally, the state of health of the battery is correlated to these parameters with a regression model.