Fiber-shaped aqueous dual-ion batteries integrating rectification and synaptic functions

ABSTRACT The growing adoption of wearable electronics is spurring the development of lightweight, highly integrable fabric systems. These systems are required to seamlessly merge multiple functions, including energy storage, signal rectification and neuromorphic computing. However, integrating these diverse functionalities into a single fiber structure remains a significant challenge, primarily due to material compatibility issues and distinct operational mechanisms. To address this challenge, we present the novel fiber-shaped aqueous dual-ion batteries (FADIBs) composed of a CuHCF/CNTF cathode, an Ag/CNTF anode and an NH4Cl/PVA gel electrolyte. This dual-ion configuration serves as a unified platform that inherently combines these typically disparate functions. Specifically, the FADIBs achieve a high energy density of 51.5 mWh cm−3 and an exceptional ionic rectification ratio of up to 109, facilitated by asymmetric ion migration. It also emulates artificial synaptic behavior with an ultra-low energy consumption of only 7.5 fJ per synaptic event. Furthermore, the versatility of the FADIBs allows integration into various fabric-based functional modules, demonstrating applications in energy harvesting, power supply and synaptic-controlled electrochromic regulation. This work establishes FADIBs as a foundational technology for multifunctional integration, providing prescient insights for future fabric systems that unify energy management, intelligent perception and information processing.