Physics

Aerospace engineering

Electrode

Process engineering

Continuous production

Coating

Laminar flow

Engineering

Textile

Physical chemistry

Composite material

Power (physics)

Chemistry

Materials science

Extrusion

Battery (electricity)

Quantum mechanics

Electrolyte

Nature Nanotechnology

Fibre batteries are of significant interest because they can be woven into flexible textiles to form compact, wearable and light-weight power solutions1,2. However, current methods adapted from planar batteries through layer-by-layer coating processes can only make fibre batteries with low production rates, which fail to meet the requirements for real applications2. Here, we present a new and general solution-extrusion method that can produce continuous fibre batteries in a single step at industrial scale. Our three-channel industrial spinneret simultaneously extrudes and combines electrodes and electrolyte of fibre battery at high production rates. The laminar flow between functional components guarantees their seamless interfaces during extrusion. Our method yields 1,500 km of continuous fibre batteries for every spinneret unit, that is, more than three orders of magnitude longer fibres than previously reported1,2. Finally, we show a proof-of-principle for roughly 10 m2 of woven textile for smart tent applications, with a battery with energy density of 550 mWh m−2. A three-channel spinneret simultaneously extrudes and combines electrodes and electrolyte to make 1,500-km-long fibre batteries.

Industrial scale production of fibre batteries by a solution-extrusion method