Slashdot Mirror
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.
'What else did they do?'
'Well, there's...' Colon racked his brains. 'There's al-gebra. That's like sums with letters. For... for people whose brains aren't clever enough for numbers, see?'
'Is that a fact?'
'Right,' said Colon. 'In fact,' he went on, a little more assertively now he could see a way ahead, 'I heard this wizard down the University say that the Klatchians invented nothing. That was their great contribution to maffs, he said. I said "What?" an' he said, they come up with zero.'
'Dun't sound that clever to me,' said Nobby. 'Anyone could invent nothing. I ain't invented anything.'
'My point exactly,' said Colon. 'I told him, it was people who invented numbers like four and, and-' '-seven-' '-right, who were the geniuses. Nothing didn't need inventing. It was just there. They probably just found it.'
'It's having all that desert,' said Nobby.
'Right! Good point. Desert. Which, as everyone knows, is basically nothing. Nothing's a natural resource to them. It stands to reason. Whereas we're more civilized, see, and we got a lot more stuff around to count, so we invented numbers.
----
On a more non-Pratchett note, if it was the Arabs who had mathematics, navigation, and a technological understanding far superior to that of anyone else, how come they have to import every damn thing they need (technical expertise, labour, doctors, nurses, etc) from all over the world ?
Your basic Arab wants to sit smoking shisha and drinking coffee. Had you seen Abu Dhabi or Dubai before they brought the Brits and the Yanks in to build their entire infrastructure back in the 70's ? It was all bloody desert, and when the oil money runs out, it'll all return to desert.
The Arabs might have been great leaders in these fields back in the year 0 AD, but since then they have degenerated into a pack of savages, intent on beheading anyone who doesn't follow their "Johnny-come-lately" religion.