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Nanotech Ink Turns Paper Into a Low-Cost Battery
jangel writes "Stanford University researchers have demonstrated a way to turn ordinary paper into a battery, which may be crumpled or pressed into any form. It's said the technology promises greater durability, higher efficiency, and faster energy transfer than traditional batteries. The technique uses special ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. Thanks to the small diameters of these materials, the ink sticks strongly to the fibrous paper, allowing the battery to be extremely durable. The paper battery could last through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles — at least an order of magnitude more than lithium batteries. According to the researchers, the paper batteries will be low-cost, may be crumpled or folded, and can even be soaked in acidic or basic solutions, yet their performance does not degrade. 'We just haven't tested what happens when you burn it,' one of the researchers quipped." This is the same Stanford research team, lead by Yi Cui, whose work with nanotechnology for battery applications we have discussed before. We've also delved into alternate routes to the holy grail of the ultra-thin battery.
Ink made out of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires? That will be almost as expensive as inkjet ink.
No, but it will power your Kindle.
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Self lighting joints which read out how many drags you have left on a little e-ink burnable screen!
Made completely of cellulose! (and carbon nano-tubes)
No duh. You carry around a jpg of the battery on your phone. When your battery is about to die, you go to a network printer, print off the jpg and replace the new battery.
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beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
What's the ink made of? Oil?
Baby seals
Yeah. Would you choose a neurosurgeon who pokes around people's brains in his spare time? I wouldn't.
How much silver is actually sued in these batteries?
IANAL, but I can't imagine what case one could bring against the silver in those batteries...
Nobody? OK no cream.
What's the ink made of? Oil?
Baby seals
Which are a proven renewable resource!
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
If you tie a length of this paper into a Möbius strip, do you get an infinite power source - or just AC?
AT&ROFLMAO
With a spear, or on horseback?
Warranty void if seal is broken.
Not a sentence!
You could have a battery on a credit card, and call it your "Charge Card".