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Stanford Scientists Create a New Energy Source: Paper Batteries
A unique form of technology may be sweeping through the market world soon: Paper Batteries.
Stanford University scientists discovered a way to turn paper covered with ink containing silver and carbon nano-materials into a “paper battery”. That’s right—a battery made out of paper. What’s really amazing is that this battery might have quite the variety of uses, ranging from electric vehicle power to laptop computer use. There is also the possibility that a paper electronics line may crop up in the future.
Image still from the Youtube video features on electronista.com
Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noted that “taking advantage of the mature paper technology, low cost, light and high-performance energy-storage are realized by using conductive paper as current collectors and electrodes”.
Impossible, you say? No, not really. Apparently, the way that ink is able to bond or print on the paper is the same method that keeps the carbon nano-tubes and silver nano-wire films attached. Previous research also found that use of silicon nano-wires could create batteries 10-times more powerful than lithium-ion batteries, which are used in things like laptops today.
Yi Cai, paper co-author and assistant professor of materials science and engineering and paper at Stanford, said:
“Our paper supercapacitors can be used for all kinds of applications that require instant high power. Since our paper batteries and supercapacitors can be very low cost, they are also good for grid-connected energy storage.”
Talk about following the 3-R method. Imagine all the wasted paper and recycled paper that could be used to make these batteries. Not to mention, they would make electronic devices much lighter and easier to transport and their use may eliminate all the battery and techno-waste found in landfills. Plus it has the potential to be marketed very quickly. I am definitely curious to see how far this paper battery concept will go, not to mention finding out if the batteries can be recycled (since they are primarily made of paper) and if they can be recharged. Necessity is certainly the mother of invention in this case.
Check out this youtube video to watch the theory in action
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: paper batteries, renewable energy, Science & Technology, Stanford University
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