Batteries made of paper could power the future
Rushda:
August 14th, 2007
A team of researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have recently estimated that the future of power could lie in paper batteries that are only slightly larger than a postage stamp! They have already produced flexible paper batteries that are able to release up to 2.3 volts of electricity - sufficient for a small light. But this is apparently only a glimpse of what is to come - indeed, the researchers say that their ambition is that one day even cars will be powered by paper batteries.
The research into the paper battery (which can be found in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) is very exciting news as it could prove to be very beneficial in a number of ways. Unlike a normal battery which contains separate parts, the paper battery is a single structure which makes it more energy efficient, something which could be of paramount importance in years to come. Professor Linhardt, who co-authored a report on the new technology says:
“Think of all the disadvantages of an old TV set with tubes. “The warm up time, power loss, component malfunction; you don’t get those problems with integrated devices. When you transfer power from one component to another you lose energy. But you lose less energy in an integrated device.”
He argues that because the battery consists mostly of carbon and paper, it could also be used inside the body, for example to power pacemakers, because unlike ordinary batteries there wouldn’t be a toxic threat.
Most are understandably amazed by the results of the study. Personally I’m very impressed at the way progress in technology is really going at phenomenal speeds - who would have even thought of the concept of batteries made of paper a while back? I really wonder how different the world will be in a couple of generations!