Paper Battery

Paper Battery

A paper battery is a flexible, ultra-thin energy storage and production device formed by combining carbon nano-tube s with a conventional sheet of cellulose-based paper. A paper battery acts as both a high-energy battery and super capacitor , combining two components that are separate in traditional electronics. This combination allows the battery to provide both long-term, steady power production and bursts of energy. Non-toxic, flexible paper batteries have the potential to power the next generation of electronics, medical devices and hybrid vehicles, allowing for radical new designs and medical technologies.

It is basically a device which can act both as a capacitor and as a battery. It is a flexible, light weight device made up of carbon nano tubes emboldened on paper (cellulose). It is basically formed by combination of cellulose with carbon nano-tubes. It consists of infusion of carbon nano-tubes with paper consisting of an ionic liquid as an electrolyte.

Paper battery can actually prove beneficial for applications where portability and size is the main requirement. Modern day electronic equipments like smart cards, digital watches facilitate the requirement of thin batteries which are long lasting and non toxic. Wearable Computers – One of the latest real time examples of wearable computers is Google Glass. 

It actually is a normal spectacle with an optical head mounted display and Glass is a computer in the form of a pair of eyeglasses and includes an optical head-mounted display which allows the user to use a smart phone. It can also be used for low power devices like calculators, wrist watches and wireless communication devices like mouse, Bluetooth headphones, keypads etc.

Paper batteries may be folded, cut or otherwise shaped for different applications without any loss of integrity or efficiency . Cutting one in half halves its energy production. Stacking them multiplies power output. Early prototypes of the device are able to produce 2.5 volt s of electricity from a sample the size of a postage stamp.

The devices are formed by combining cellulose with an infusion of aligned carbon nano-tubes that are each approximately one millionth of a centimeter thick. The carbon is what gives the batteries their black color. These tiny filaments act like the electrode s found in a traditional battery, conducting electricity when the paper comes into contact with an ionic liquid solution. Ionic liquids contain no water, which means that there is nothing to freeze or evaporate in extreme environmental conditions. As a result, paper batteries can function between -75 and 150 degrees Celsius.

One method of manufacture, developed by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MIT, begins with growing the nano-tubes on a silicon substrate and then impregnating the gaps in the matrix with cellulose. Once the matrix has dried, the material can be peeled off of the substrate, exposing one end of the carbon nano-tubes to act as an electrode . When two sheets are combined, with the cellulose sides facing inwards, a super-capacitor is formed that can be activated by the addition of the ionic liquid. This liquid acts as an electrolyte and may include salt-laden solutions like human blood, sweat or urine. The high cellulose content (over 90%) and lack of toxic chemicals in paper batteries makes the device both bio compatible and environmentally friendly, especially when compared to the traditional lithium ion battery used in many present-day electronic devices and laptops.

As a result of the potentially transformative applications in electronics, aerospace, hybrid vehicles and medical science, however, numerous companies and organizations are pursuing the development of paper batteries.Specialized paper batteries could act as power sources for any number of devices implanted in humans and animals, including RFID tags, cosmetics, drug-delivery systems and pacemakers. A capacitor introduced into an organism could be implanted fully dry and then be gradually exposed to bodily fluids over time to generate voltage.

Working:

Internal operation of paper batteries is similar to that of conventional batteries with each battery generating about 1.5V. If one can recall traditional batteries work in the manner where positive charged particles called ions and negative charged particles called electrons move between positive electrodes called anode and negative electrode called cathode.

Current flows as electrons flow from anode to the cathode through the conductor, since the electrolyte is an insulator and doesn’t provide a free path for electrons to travel.

Similarly in some paper batteries, carbon nanotubes act as cathode, the metal is the anode and paper is the separator. Chemical reaction between metal and electrolyte results in production of ions whereas chemical reaction between carbon and electrolyte results in production of electrons. These electrons flow from the cathode to the anode through the external circuit.

Given below are three ways to create paper batteries:

1. The first method involves fabricating zinc and manganese dioxide based cathode and anode. The batteries are printed onto paper using standard silkscreen printing press. This paper is infused with aligned carbon nano-tubes which are used as electrode. This paper is dipped in a solution of ionic liquid which acts as the electrolyte.

2. The second method is a bit complex and involves growing nano-tubes on a silicon substrate. The gaps in the matrix are then filled with cellulose and once the matrix is dried, the combination of cellulose and nano-tubes is peeled off. Thus sheets of paper consisting of layers of carbon nano-tubes are created. Two such sheets are combined together to form a super capacitor with a ionic liquid like human blood, sweat or urine being used an electrolyte.

3. The third is a simple method and can be constructed in a laboratory. It involves spreading a specially formulated ink of carbon nano tubes over a rectangular sheet of paper coated with an ionic solution. A thin film of lithium is then laminated on the other side of the paper. Aluminium rods are then connected to carry current between the two electrodes.

Six Important reasons How Paper Batteries useful:

1.Paper batteries have long lasting time. 

2.They are non toxic as they do not involve harmful chemical reactions. 

3.They are flexible and can be folded or cut without any effect on their efficiency. This is because of the fact that they are made up of materials like cellulose and carbon nano-tubes which have high tensile strength.

4.They are disposable as they are made up of cellulose which is bio degradable and non toxic. They can be used in harsh climate conditions like heat and cold. This is because the electrolyte does not involve water which makes the battery operate in the range of -73 to 149 degree Celsius.

5.They utilize carbon nano-tubes, which are one of the most highly efficient conductors of electricity.

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