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.
I want some, especially if they have a decent capacity.
What's the ink made of? Oil? If so: never mind.
How fast an you charge it without it bursting into flames?
If it can charge faster and has equal power density to LiON batteries, and the ink isn't made out of oil, and the entire thing can be built outside of a petroleum context, I think we might have a winner...
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
These paper based batteries appear to function in a very similar fashion to the algae derived cellulose batteries mentioned on Slashdot a while ago. The paper probably acts as a support just as the algae cellulose particles did in the previously mentioned design.
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
I hope I don't have to carry around a copy of "War and Peace" just to power my phone.
'We just haven't tested what happens when you burn it,' one of the researchers quipped."
Riiiiighht. They're just waiting to patent electric rolling papers.
You just need a graphite pencil and a piece of paper. Will a paper battery help build gilligan a radio?- probably not.
How much silver is actually sued in these batteries? Will availability be an issue? Does it work with other conductive materials like copper or aluminum? Intuitively I suspect the problem here will be energy density for the simple reason it is the one thing they did not promise would be awesome. That said with the tesla beating 500km recently these batteries coudl eprform well even if they had half of Li-Ion energy density.
Ink made out of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires? That will be almost as expensive as inkjet ink.
Wake me up when they make a static electricity battery that I can charge instantly after I walk across the room and touch it.
"Be prepared, son. That's my motto. Be prepared." --Joe Hallenbeck
Anyone want a battery shaped like a frog?
I for one hope this technology isn't going to be made by HP or Lexmark...
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Just wait until some mad scientist engineers a tree to produce it's own ink and arrange it properly. In Soviet Russia, the tree strikes the lightning! (That's my first Soviet Russia attempt. w00t)
What's the power density? If you need a dozen phonebooks worth of paper to store 100wH, never mind...
To power a car, sure. If space is ample, or energy requirements are minimal, then this could be very useful.
What's the ink made of? Oil? If so: never mind.
Where does this come from? If you think we're going to eliminate oil derived products anytime soon, think again. Oil isn't going away as a feedstock for the chemical industry. If your requirement is that nothing is ever tied to petroleum, just give up now. You won't get very far.
AccountKiller
The mighty power of science, striking again! Some technologies just seem more *elegant* than others — and this one would be awesome.
My dream of origami batteries is closer to realisation!
If your requirement is that nothing is ever tied to petroleum, just give up now. You won't get very far.
Won't get very far at a competitive cost anyways...
On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
Keep in mind that ultra-thin, printed, "paper" batteries (usually printed on cellulose, or a thin polymer film for added mechanical strength, although paper itself can be done) have been commercially available for a decade -- see Power Paper and Blue Spark Technologies as just two examples.
While most of the posts so far have focused on the paper aspect, what's interesting to me is the fact that the batteries can be printed. Assuming that you don't need the paper, this opens up a pretty significant world of possibilities. For example, imagine a solar powered aircraft that has the energy stored in the paint? This would give a pretty significant performance increase due to the lack of need for a standard battery.
Also, if there's no need for paper, could you use it as a liquid? Pour it into the interstitial space of your machine? The potential for space savings are staggering.
Won't get very far at a competitive cost today, anyways...
they use carbon and silver. this is like "turning an apple into a battery" when you stick zinc and copper into it.
Would be neat if this could be used in combination with e-ink to make a self powered sheets of e-paper.
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
Yes, with any newly developed tech one needs to be weary of any potential ill effects. One should be especially careful of anything which you will consume, will touch your skin, or may become airborne if it is not in an enclosed container.
It pays to be cautious, but you don't have to be so cautious as to never use new technology. Even much of the old, commonly used stuff has dangers. Those dangers are just well known. Even most kids know not to put their fingers into light sockets, that is probably one of the first safety lessons parents should teach their children. (At least of those of us who have electricity.)
People really have no idea how much stuff we use on a daily basis comes from petroleum.
Think anything plastic...
Also
Google "what is made from petroleum"
partial list of petroleum products.
http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm
Why are you posting anonymously? If you really believe what you are saying, you should stand and be counted.
Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.
So many questions would be answered if the actual science was available.
Too bad PNAS charges for people to see that. If you find Yi Cui's site at Stanford and look under "Publications," you may find a relevant pdf.
*sigh* if only the editors knew how to use the internet... or is it that they don't know science is peer reviewed and not press released?
Wrong.
Charles Richard Drew (3 June 1904 – 1 April 1950) was an African American physician and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge in developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II, saving thousands of lives of the Allied forces.
They say that "one drop of black blood" makes you black -- therefore we are all black.
In the words of Jesus: "Love ... thy neighbor as thyself." I'm pretty sure he included your dark-skinned -- yet identically red-blooded -- neighbors in that assertion.
As for why Europeans conquered the world, see Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. (Short answer: environmental factors.)
-kgj
If you tie a length of this paper into a Möbius strip, do you get an infinite power source - or just AC?
AT&ROFLMAO
Now we'll have libraries with "knowledge is power" posters everywhere.
Guy 1: Hey Joe, how many volts you need to run that there dishwasher?
Guy 2 (named Joe, apparently): I reckon three Libraries of Congress oughta do it.
My guess is there will be some particularly nasty smoke when they do get around to testing it by burning.
Thousands of carbon naontubes wafting away contaminating the room, furnishings, clothes, your child's fluffy toys doesn't seem like a good idea.
I sure as heck don't want to be subject to inhaling carbon nanotubes. Not even one.
The alternative to limited government is unlimited government.
I think not.
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
You could have a battery on a credit card, and call it your "Charge Card".
I hear what you're saying, and while I'm sympathetic to your ideals, I'm not moved by your argument.
If Europeans/Christians have murdered more than anyone else in the history of mankind, it's because they had the means and opportunity.
Bloodthirsty monsters of men have existed throughout history across all peoples: this is no exclusive curse of Europeans. If anyone else had obtained the means of conquest sooner -- the Mongols, the Aztecs, the Zulus, the Maori, whoever -- they would have done the same.
A similar problem presents itself in the guise of "White men traded in black slaves, therefore black people are exclusively victims." Not so: black Africans were sold by other black Africans to white slavers.
Consider also that slavery was abolished by white Christians, e.g. Quakers.
Underlying all violence is this essential dilemma: how are tolerant men to be tolerant of the intolerant? How shall the men of peace survive the men of violence?
-kgj
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.
A few more tests and it might even be suitable for use on paper currency, and suddenly the paranoid fears of having tracking devices in every paper bill could become a reality (starting with $100, $50, and $20 bills).
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?