Written by: Jordan Barela, Editor-in-Chief 

Batteries can grow on trees apparently.

According to an article on ifls.com, a group of scientists have recently invented two high-capacity batteries from a simple material: wood.

The batteries have a sponge like appearance. This causes the batteries to be able to absorb both shock and stress. According to the article, this is a feature that many electronics that are stretchable do not possess.

The batteries were created from a wood-based aerogel. This particular type of aerogel also allows for the batteries to be modeled into a 3D shape.

To create the aerogel, scientists from both KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stanford University began by breaking down the cellouse found in the cells of the wood. The cellulose was then reduced to one-millionth of its original thickness, which resulted in “nanocellulose”, which was then freeze-dried to remove moisture. After being freeze-dried, the material was processed to stabilize the molecules and to prevent the material from collapsing.

The result: a sponge-like material that is both “strong, light and soft” according to lead researcher Max Hamedi.

The team behind the creation then coated the material in an ink that conducts electricity.

The research team behind the two wood-based batteries reported the results to Nature Communications, a research journal that publishes reports on strides in various scientific fields. The batteries are a combination of a hybrid battery and a supercapacitor. This combination lets the two batteries both rapidly charge and discharge rapidly and store a vast amount of electrical charge.