Probably the thinnest and most lightweight out of all battery types, the paper battery is a type of energy storage that looks like ordinary paper. Its technology allows its components to cling molecularly to one another without the volume. The electrolyte, for example, is soaked into the material. Carbon nanotubes, which create a passageway for ionization to occur, are embedded into the paper via print.
The super-thin battery make use of nanoscale cellulose spacers which act as high surface area electrodes. This improves the conduction of electricity. With this innovation, paper batteries can be easily integrated to power up a wide range of products, functioning as traditional chemical batteries.
The Birth Of Paper Batteries
The possibility of using paper for batteries was first discovered by the scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). The idea was conceived after researchers found a growing trend for smaller, thinner but more powerful embedded storage devices. As a result, they developed a thin yet marketable design for a battery.
RPI’s initial research was picked up by The Paper Battery Company (PBC), who used crowdfunding to launch their company on 2008. The company has engineered roll-to-roll printing processes imbibed with the current super capacitor technology in order to enable high-volume energy production, six times higher than the current super capacitors in the market.
As a result, paper batteries boast of these capabilities:
- Faster recharge
- Longer life cycle
- Fault resistant
- Flexible
- Scalable
- Lightweight and thin
- Can be molded to fit different devices
- Leaves no carbon footprint after use
New types of paper batteries are being developed under the Paper Batter Company brand. Currently, they are developing a lightweight super capacitor innovation that will boost battery performance in mobile devices, as well as other products that depend on rechargeable lithium batteries.
Image Source: Designboom
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