The smart textiles sector is considered a growth market. By 2021, for example, 238 million smart wearables are expected to be produced. These are dependent on a suitable energy supply, which is usually provided by conventional batteries/rechargeable batteries. Supercapacitors are long-lasting energy storage devices that are used, for example, where energy needs to be stored or released quickly. The electrodes of such supercapacitors can also be made from carbon nanofleeces. Based on this, textile, i.e. flexible, supercapacitors are to be developed that allow suitable integration of energy sources in a smart textile without having to resort to conventional batteries or accumulators.   Energy storage is an important topic for the future. For wearables, textile energy storage systems are a logical step towards greater integration of electronic components in a textile. However, energy-storing textiles are also very interesting for other areas. In the automotive sector, for example, usage scenarios are changing with increasing electrification and autonomous driving. This results in new requirements for the interior. Interior textiles are increasingly being equipped with electronic functions or could become interesting as energy storage devices. The research project includes the development of suitable carbon fibre nonwovens (project partner DTNW), the development of suitable separator nonwovens and the realisation of textile supercapacitors on this basis. The challenge here is not only to realise supercapacitors that are as conductive as possible, but also to transfer them into a textile product.

Funded by: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Duration:    01.03.2021 - 28.02.2023