We've all gone through that moment when we needed our mobile phone at a critical moment, only because we ran out of battery.
Apparently, the days when this happens could soon be a thing of the past.
Researchers give a new meaning to "power dressing" products with the invention of smart clothes that use the sun's rays to charge devices.
Until now, researchers have tried to create fibers to include in clothing to provide energy. But many of these could not withstand the manufacturing process.
Now, scientists at Jinan University in China say they have created a new type of fiber for sewing into tailorable textiles that can capture and release solar energy.
The researchers created two different types of fibers – one type containing titanium or manganese-coated polymer, along with zinc oxide, a dye and an electrolyte.
These were interwoven with copper-coated polymer threads to create the solar cell section of the material.
The second type of fiber was made of titanium, titanium nitride, a thin carbon coating to prevent oxidation and an electrolyte.
These fibers were then woven with cotton threads. When combined, the new materials formed a flexible textile.
It is said that the clothes - called "tailorable textile device" - could eventually charge low-power devices, including tablets and phones.
Dr Wenjie Mai, who led the study, said:
'The 'threads' – fiber electrodes – featuring tailorability and knittability can be large-scale fabricated and then woven into energy textiles.'
