Paper batteries designed
The flexible paper
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Tuesday, 14, Aug 2007 02:01
A new paper-like device could one day replace batteries at storing power, according to scientists.
The tiny, ultralight nano-engineered battery is completely flexible and could be used in medical equipment and transportation vehicles.
It can be rolled, twisted, folded or cut into any number of shapes and it will still work with the same efficiency.
Key features of the battery include being able to work at temperatures of up to 300F and down to -100F and using human blood or sweat to help power it.
More than 90 per cent of the device is made up of cellulose, the same plant cells used in newsprint, lunchbags and nearly every other type of paper, scientists behind the battery report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The 'paper battery' is infused with nanotubes which act as electrodes and allow it to conduct electricity.
"It's essentially a regular piece of paper, but it's made in a very intelligent way," said Robert Linhardt from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The makers of the new battery claim that as paper is extremely biocompatible it could be a power supply for devices implanted in the body.
"It's a way to power a small device such as a pacemaker without introducing any harsh chemicals – such as the kind that are typically found in batteries – into the body," explained co-researcher Victor Pushparaj.
The team behind the battery are now working on ways to boost the efficiency of the batteries to be able to mass produce them inexpensively.