A Non-Toxic, Paper Battery / Supercapacitor

jcr writes "Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a combination battery/capacitor by infusing carbon nanotubes and electrolytes into a paper substrate. The material can be folded, rolled up, or molded to any convenient shape with no effect on power capacity. Operating temperature range is -100 to 300 degrees F. One of the co-authors is quoted: 'We're not putting pieces together — it's a single, integrated device. The components are molecularly attached to each other: the carbon nanotube print is embedded in the paper, and the electrolyte is soaked into the paper. The end result is a device that looks, feels, and weighs the same as paper.'" The researchers haven't yet developed a high-volume way to manufacture the devices. They envision ultimately printing sheets between rollers like newsprint.

Comments

e-ink

[SharpFang]

Now it would be interesting, so far power supply for e-ink was big and bulky. There is already a technology of printing ICs on paper, meaning - electronic paper is at hand's reach.

kWh/kg and kWh/$?

[DamonHD]

Hi,

Just as an alternative ultracapacitor this sounds interesting: I'm going hunting for the efficiency numbers above, though they're going to be hard to gauge at this stage I guess!

Rgds

Damon

Your purpose, Mr. Anderson?

[headkase]

As an aside, announcements of technologies such as this are becoming more frequent. As Alvin Toffler was talking about many years ago, we have entered the period of "Future Shock". Development and change in general is undergoing a period doubling. Not only are these new technologies amazing, but also the technologies they enable will also be amazing. So it begs the question: what do we - as a species - want to do? Because unless a mass extinction occurs we will probably be able to choose from an unimaginable menu of options about fifty years from now.

Re:Your purpose, Mr. Anderson?

[mike2R]

While technological advances have occured during most times, what has changed a lot is the perception of them (this is western Europe specific): until about the mid-eighteenth century western European thought did not really encompass the concept of Progress - by which I mean the concept (which is so embedded into our current thought as to be an axiom) of idea building on idea, and Mankind slowly improving itself.

On the contary, the philosophical underpinnings of western European thought where Chrtistian - they looked back towards perfection before the Fall (and also towards Roman times), rather than forwards.

The concept of progress was a big deal at the time - the core of what came to be known as the Enlightenment. This is not to say that there weren't technological advances during medeival times, just that the idea of progress; of things being better than they were in the past, and of getting better in the future, was not part of the contemporary mindset.

Useful?

[Anonymous Coward]

Of great importance
  What is it's capacitance versus its geometry?

I have a capacitor too, its called 2 pieces of metal separated by a distance

I want to know the capacitance of this new thing, Only then can we deem it great .
What are the dimensions of a 1 farad capacitor made of this stuff,?
a 100 microfarad capacitor made of this stuff, 1000 and , 10,000 Microfarads ?
  Picofarad values ?

Voltage breakdown / handling .
temperature stability ? long term storage problems?

Then and only do we really have somwething useful as a capacitor , oterwise it's just trivial
Is this a usable capacitor ?
Also storage
It isn't enough to be battery , what are its charging /discharging characteristics ? Milliamp or amp hour power capacity versus its geometry / dimensions ?
the above answer the question Is it useful ?
or just hype AH- boosta

It s not enough to look like duck, are we trapshooting wood decoys ?
Should I invest money in this?

biodegradeable?

[Sibko]

It's 90% paper, so from the sounds of it, it'll biodegrade pretty much like paper. Which doesn't seem so great if you want to start putting it in cars or aeroplanes. I can't help but be reminded of Larry Niven's Ringworld, where a bacteria [I think it was a bacteria] evolved to consume certain high-tech gear. So not only will our batteries have the lifetime of regular paper, but things that eat regular paper will be able to eat our batteries too.

Re:in SI units

[Anonymous Coward]

SI unit for temperature is kelvin

Changing rate of Tech Change

[The Monster]

Technology has never been changing as fast as it is now, but that's also been true for as far back as I'm aware...each generation just doesn't seem to see the trend of acceleration that came before them because it all seems so slow compared to what's happening just then.

This simply isn't true. There have been periods in history when generations would pass without any discernable technological improvements. There have also been things called Dark Ages where technology actually recedes. (I guess that's still change, though.)

We have had steadily-accelerating technological progress for the last two centuries or so, which covers our memories and the stories passed down for a few generations. That's apparently enough to make people think it's been that way for all time.

Now the rate of change is so great that people factor it into their decision-making. We just assume that the computers we buy two years from now will be twice as powerful as the ones sold today. We fully expect our next cell phone will do more for less power and money, and we're actually a bit miffed that we don't have our flying cars yet.

Re:Power specs?

[pragma_x]

Good point. For all we know, the capacitance of this stuff could be no better than building up a static charge with a balloon and your cat.

Honestly, I think the more impressive stat is the one given in the summary: operating range of -100 to +300 degrees.

Most batteries are only viable in temperatures where water can stay liquid. Were something like this made commercially viable, you could do things like run electric vehicles in the arctic w/o needing to keep the battery warm.

Does this mean...

[Rah'Dick]

...that we'll see fancy newspapers like in the Harry Potter movies eventually? ;-)

Specs and Space

[martyb]

Honestly, I think the more impressive stat is the one given in the summary: operating range of -100 to +300 degrees.

Most batteries are only viable in temperatures where water can stay liquid. Were something like this made commercially viable, you could do things like run electric vehicles in the arctic w/o needing to keep the battery warm. (emphasis added)

I would suggest that we could use this to run electric vehicles in space w/o needing to keep the battery warm.

NOTE: By "space" I mean not only the big, empty expanse around us, but also on the Moon, on Mars, etc. Even if the extremes there exceed that of this battery, the energy required to keep this battery within specs would be much less than for our current crop.

IIRC, wasn't one of the big concerns about the Mars landers (Opportunity and Spirit) during the big dust storm that insufficient sunlight would reach the solar cells to power the heater that kept the electronics from freezing? Well, okay, we'd still be left with the need to keep the *electronics* from freezing, but the less power required to keep the batteries warm, the more power would be left for the electronics... right?

Re:Groan

[run_w_xcors]

So long as the west has something that third world psychos want but don't have, like guns, money, and the means to control other people, the west will be a target of third world psychos. This isn't about the west 'meddling' in the affairs of foreign countries, it's about psychopaths trying to use us to get what they want.

Ahh, the testament to any civilized society, guns, money and the means to control other people. Maybe it's the freedom FROM those things they seek.