Paper battery

A paper battery is a battery engineered to use a spacer formed largely of cellulose (the major constituent of paper). This technology can also be used in supercapacitors. It incorporates nanoscale structures to act as high surface-area electrodes to improve the conduction of electricity.

Development
The creation of this unique nanocomposite paper drew from a diverse pool of disciplines, requiring expertise in materials science, energy storage, and chemistry. In August 2007, a research team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (led by Drs. Robert Linhardt, the Ann and John H. Broadbent Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering at Rensselaer; Pulickel M. Ajayan, professor of materials science and engineering; and Omkaram Nalamasu, professor of chemistry with a joint appointment in materials science and engineering) developed the paper battery. Senior research specialist Victor Pushparaj, along with postdoctoral research associates Shaijumon M. Manikoth, Ashavani Kumar, and Saravanababu Murugesan, were co-authors and lead researchers of the project. Other co-authors include research associate Lijie Ci and Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center Laboratory Manager Robert Vajtai. This cellulose based spacer is compatible with many possible electrolytes. Researchers used ionic liquid, essentially a liquid salt, as the batterys electrolyte, as well as naturally occurring electrolytes such as human sweat, blood, and urine. Ionic liquid, which contains no water, would mean that theres nothing in the batteries to freeze or evaporate, potentially allowing operation in extreme temperatures. Naturally occurring electrolytes might allow more biocompatible batteries. According to Pushparaj Its a way to power a small device such as a pacemaker without introducing any harsh chemicals such as the kind that are typically found in batteries into the body.

Durability
The spacer is an integrated combination of spacer, and electrodes. Its essentially a regular piece of paper, but its made in a very intelligent way, said Linhardt, Were not putting pieces together its a single, integrated device, he said. The components are molecularly attached to each other: the carbon nanotube print is embedded in the paper, and the electrolyte is soaked into the paper. The end result is a device that looks, feels, and weighs the same as paper.

Uses
The paper-like quality of the battery combined with the structure of the nanotubes embedded within gives them their light weight and low cost, making them attractive for portable electronics, aircraft, automobiles, and toys (such as model aircraft), while their ability to use electrolytes in blood make them potentially useful for medical devices such as pacemakers. The medical uses are particularly attractive because they do not contain any toxic materials and can be biodegradable; a major drawback of chemical cells. However, Professor Sperling cautions that commercial applications may be a long way away, because nanotubes are still relatively expensive to fabricate. Currently they are making devices a few inches in size. In order to be commercially viable, they would like to be able to make them newspaper size; a size which, taken all together, would be powerful enough to power a car.

Fig : A paper battery

Making Powerful, Lightweight Batteries From Nothing But Nanotube Ink and Paper

Paper Batteries It turns out making lightweight, bendable, foldable batteries is as easy as putting ink to paper.

Reading the electronic-media narrative as it plays out in many popular tech and news blogs, one would think we are hurtling toward a future where paper is all but unnecessary. But a new development in battery technology could bring paper right back around to its former place of prominence, using it to power the very digital devices -- smartphones, Kindles, laptops, etc. -- that are increasingly replacing print. By coating regular copier paper in ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires, Stanford researchers have created highly conductive storage devices that can be bent, folded, and wrapped around other surfaces (energy-storing wallpaper, anyone?). The carbon nanotube ink adheres to the surface of the paper just like normal ink would, making paper the ideal vehicle for these thin, lightweight storage devices. Since earlier research has shown that silicon nanowire batteries can be up to 10 times more powerful than lithium-ion batteries, researchers are hopeful the paper batteries will be able to power everything from automobiles to laptops to phones with smaller, lighter, more powerful and longer-lasting batteries. The method can also create simple supercapacitors with large surface areas that allow rapid energy discharge, a requirement for automobile power sources that lithium-ion batteries have trouble satisfying. All of that would just be more pie-in-the-sky battery research if it were not for this: the paper battery technology is basically market-ready. That's not to say that researchers won't need some time to iron out the kinks, but power sources based on this technology could be commercialized very soon compared to a lot of the nano-noise circulating in scientific circles. The fact that the process is also very cheap means devices like these could be powering your paper-replacing devices sooner than you think. Get the details straight from Stanford's Yi Cui below.

PAPER BATTERY Characteristics

- Paper battery is a new concept of manganese battery developed from applying the technology of thin film printing, and has a flexible and thin physical characteristics.

- It is a battery suitable for equipments that consume a microamper current. The unit cell has 1.5V, and could be supplied with 2-series battery with 3V.

- Low manufacture costs will help applied usage in various form of application fields RFID, smart card, cosmetics and medical cares. For examples RFID tag, smart card, iontophoresis patches, etc.

PAPER BATTERY Model & Specyfication

- Representative model is as shown. Size and shape could be changed freely, allowing the user to adjust to their size and capacity needs.

MODEL

IMAGES

GENERAL SPECYFICATION
Nominal Voltage : 1.5V Thickness : 0.6mm Capacity : 1.5mAh Applications : Cosmetic patch, MedIcal patch Nominal Voltage : 1.5V Thickness : 0.6mm Capacity : 30mAh Applications : Medical patch, RFID tag, Melody card, etc. Nominal Voltage : 1.5V Thickness : 0.7mm Capacity : 10mAh Applications : Medical patch, RFID tag, Melody card, etc. Nominal Voltage : 1.5V Thickness : 0.7mm Capacity : 40mAh Applications : Medical patch, RFID tag, Melody card, etc.

PB2060

PB6060

PBP3327

PBP5555

PTB2045

1.5V system or 3V system Applications : Cosmetic patch, Medical patch

:
Product specyfication summary
Model No.: Nominal Voltage Capacity (mAh) Dimensions (mm) Diameter Width Length Thickness Weight (gr) Applications Data Sheet

VIEW PB2060 1,5 1,5 20 0,6 0,2

Cosmetics, Medicals

VIEW PB6060 1,5 30 60 0,6 2 RFID

VIEW PBP5555 1,5 40 55 55 0,7 2,5 RFID

VIEW PBP3327 1,5 10 33 27,5 0,7 0,7 RFID

VIEW
PB2SP5555

3,0

40

55

55

1,3

4,5

RFID

VIEW
PB2SP3327

3,0

10

33

27,5

1,3

1,4

RFID

:
- Rocket supplies not only paper battery, but also patch with battery. The patch with battery is the product adopting the iontophoresis technology, which elevates the delivery of materials into the skin. - We can make and supply a newly designed patch by customer.

PAPER BATTERY Technical Information

:
Paper battery has manganese battery system with a chemical view. Battery comprises MnO2 as a positive material, Zn as a negative material and ZnCl2 or NH4Cl as an electrolyte. It is a high quality battery that has technology to improve the decreasing of capacity during long-term storage.

:
Battery is composed of 7 layers. A current collector is printed on polymer films used as batterys external materials, and positive materials are printed on the current collector. The negative materials are also made using same method with positive. A cell is composed of separator coated with electrolyte in a gel type between the two electrodes. And the battery is completed by being sealed with sealing materials.

:
- Battery system: ZN/MNO2 primary - Nominal voltage: 1,5V - Thickness: About 0,6mm - Specific capacity: About 4mAh/cm2 - Active area - Operating temperature: -20 up to 60 - Shelf life: 2 years (Sustenance more than 80% of initial capatity)

- We introduce the accelerated test basis to evaluate the life time of paper battery in a short time. Batteries are kept at 45 oven, and then checked the capacity every 5days. As the result of test, it held 80% of the initial capacity after 60days. - We are also checking the life time by keeping the batteries at room temperature, and the result showed 90% of the initial capacity was maintained after 16months of the production.

* Discharge condition : 1.3kohm continuous discharge to 0.9V * Battery model : PBP5555

PAPER BATTERY Applications

Paper Batteries Map Future Portable Applications

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed an energy storage material that simultaneously performs the functions of both a rechargeable battery and a super-capacitor, yet has the physical properties of a sheet of paper (see the Figure). This nanocomposite paper material is non-toxic, highly biocompatible with human tissue, and robustboth physically and thermally. It therefore holds great potential to advance capabilities in portable power design for applications ranging from bioinstrumentation to consumer electronics, and even large power systems served by conventional batteries. The creation of the nanocomposite paper draws from a diverse pool of disciplines, requiring expertise in materials science, energy storage, and chemistry. Robert Linhardt, the Ann and John H. Broadbent Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering at Rensselaer, is one of the researchers who developed the technology. Linhardt states that the paper-like qualities of the material make it especially attractive for energy storage in medically implanted devices (for example, a pacemaker, insulin pump, or the implantable radio chip). According to Linhardt, this is mainly because the material may enable energy storage devices that can be placed directly beneath the skin, rather than deep inside the body, which is the usual practice. Such thin devices would have the dual advantages of being less invasive and easier to recharge. Of course, other properties of the material that favor such applications are its high levels of biocompatibility and mechanical flexibility.

Figure. This nanocomposite paper (whose black color is produced by carbon nanotubes) shares many physical properties with conventional paper, and provides the desirable electrical properties of both a Liion battery and a supercapacitor. (Image by Victor Pushparaj, courtesy of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)

For example, the material can be rolled, twisted, folded, or cut into any number of shapes with no loss of mechanical integrity or efficiency. It can also be fabricated in a continuous sheet to any desired area while

maintaining its uniform paper-thin profile. Paper batteries made from this material can also be stacked, like a ream of printer paper, to boost the total power output. The materials general semblance to paper is due to the fact that the composition of the material is more than 90% cellulose. This is the same type of organic plant material used in newsprint, lunch-bags, looseleaf paper, and nearly every other type of paper. Not surprisingly, the technology is manufactured using a technique that resembles a printing process. To manufacture the nanocomposite material, Rensselaer researchers infuse this paper with aligned carbon nanotubes, which gives the material its black color. The nanotubes act as electrodes and allow the paper to conduct electricity. The researchers use ionic liquid, essentially a liquid salt, as an electrolyte. The electrodes and the electrolyte are then combined to form the nanocomposite paper battery material. This material then acts as a unique energy storage device in that it can function as both a high-energy rechargeable battery and a high-power supercapacitor, which are generally separate components in most electrical systems. Linhardt states that fellow researchers Victor Pushparaj, Manikoth Shaijumon, Saravanababu Murugesan, Ashavani Kumar, Omkaram Nalamasu and Pulickel Ajayan, have devised a three-terminal hybrid supercapacitor/battery device using this technology. Their hybrid device can be used in place of a conventional four-terminal device. It is important to note that the ionic liquid used for the electrolyte contains no water, and will not freeze or evaporate; these nanocomposite paper batteries can therefore operate from +300F to -100F. Another key feature of the technologywhich also further contributes to its high level of biocompatibilityis the capability to use human blood or sweat as substitute electrolytes to power the battery. Linhardt states that the nanocomposite paper batteries also have a typical open-circuit voltage of 2.5 V, and that power density for the batteries is still being optimized. However, the first supercapacitors produced with the technology already have a power storage density comparable to equivalent commercial devices. The Rensselaer research team has already filed a patent protecting the invention. They are now working on ways to boost the efficiency of the batteries and supercapacitors, and investigating different manufacturing techniques. Linhardt states that for other applications, such as those for wearable electronics, it might be more desirable for the batteries to more closely resemble woven fabric rather than printable paper. For such applications, the researchers might apply fiber-forming technologies and actually weave, rather than print, a battery. However, the essence of this technology in its current form is effectively summarized by Linhardt as follows: Its essentially a regular piece of paper, but its made in a very intelligent way.

paper battery

to a piece of paper ink infused with carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires is applied scientists at stanford university in california reported 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. 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. 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 laptop 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 commercialised within a short time.

bing hu prepares a small square of ordinary paper with an ink that will deposit carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires on the surface that can then be charged with energy to create a battery.

...it turns into a battery or supercapacitor...

...even if you crumple the piece of paper...

...it still works.