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Ultra-tough battery survives hammer blows and being run over by a car

A hydrogel battery that can perform well at below-freezing temperatures and survive all sorts of damage could keep phones working even when conditions get tough

By Alex Wilkins

29 March 2023

A car slowly driving over a battery

Being run over by a car didn’t stop this battery working

YICHEN YAN

A flexible battery made from hydrogel can withstand being run over by a car, blows from a hammer and temperatures as low as −77°C (-106.6°F). It could potentially be used in phones or wearable electronics.

Most commercial batteries are solid and based on lithium, but these can be easily damaged in accidents and cope badly at very cold temperatures.

Now, Ximin He at the University of California, Los Angeles, and her colleagues have developed a hydrogel…

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