Wood pulp-derived nanocellulose is turning out to be pretty useful stuff. Previously, we'd heard how it could be used in things like high-strength lightweight composites, oil-absorbing sponges and biodegradable computer chips. Now, researchers from Sweden and the US have used the material to build soft-bodied batteries that are more shock- and stress-resistant than their traditional hard counterparts.

Nanocellulose is also known as nanofibrillated cellulose or Cellulose NanoFibrils (CNF). In a nutshell, it's typically made using wood waste from sources such as lumber or paper mills, which has been added to water and then mechanically ripped apart to the point that the wood fibers are rendered into much smaller cellulose nanofibers. The resulting gel is subsequently freeze-dried, thus removing the water and leaving behind the long and interconnected nanofibers.