2009-12-08 11:32:09
Mon Dec 7, 4:28 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Ordinary paper could one day be used as a lightweight
battery to power the devices that are now enabling the printed word to be
eclipsed by e-mail, e-books and online news.
Scientists at Stanford University in California reported on Monday they have
successfully turned paper coated with ink made of silver and carbon
nanomaterials into a "paper battery" that holds promise for new types of
lightweight, high-performance energy storage.
The same feature that helps ink adhere to paper allows it to hold onto the
single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowire films. Earlier research
found that silicon nanowires could be used to make batteries 10 times as
powerful as lithium-ion batteries now used to power devices such as laplop
computers.
"Taking advantage of the mature paper technology, low cost, light and
high-performance energy-storage are realized by using conductive paper as
current collectors and electrodes," the scientists said in research published
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This type of battery could be useful in powering electric or hybrid vehicles,
would make electronics lighter weight and longer lasting, and might even lead
someday to paper electronics, the scientists said. Battery weight and life have
been an obstacle to commercial viability of electric-powered cars and trucks.
"Society really needs a low-cost, high-performance energy storage device, such
as batteries and simple supercapacitors," Stanford assistant professor of
materials science and engineering and paper co-author Yi Cui said.
Cui said in an e-mail that in addition to being useful for portable electronics
and wearable electronics, "Our paper supercapacitors can be used for all kinds
of applications that require instant high power."
"Since our paper batteries and supercapacitors can be very low cost, they are
also good for grid-connected energy storage," he said.
Peidong Yang, professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley,
said the technology could be commercialized within a short time.
(Writing by Jackie Frank; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)