Create a paper and water-powered battery that's as powerful as an AA battery

Recently, three researchers including: Alexandre Poulin, Xavier Aeby and Gustav Nyström have announced that they have successfully created a very special paper battery, with biodegradability and made from cheap materials.

A special type of battery that uses paper and water (as ink) to operate.

The way this battery works is based on an electrochemical process between metal and air. Specifically, the zinc foil will be decomposed at the anode, while the graphite will be at the cathode. In it, the sodium chloride salt diffusion paper acts as a separator between the electrodes and the aqueous electrolyte.

On top of the paper is a special ink, which contains graphite flakes and acts as the cathode, while another ink on the other side of the paper contains zinc powder and acts as the anode.

A third type of ink, consisting of graphite and carbon black flakes, is printed on both sides and acts as a connection between the positive and negative terminals of the two conductors. They are attached to one end of the sheet of paper, then dipped in wax.

All that is needed for this battery to work is a small amount of water (about 2 drops), which is added to dissolve the salt contained inside the paper, thereby releasing charged ions from the cathode to the anode.

Based on experiments conducted by the team, the battery started to generate energy about 20 seconds after adding water to the solution. With a stable voltage of around 1.2 V, the paper battery is almost on par with the standard AA alkaline batteries widely used today, with a voltage of 1.5 V.

Thanks to these characteristics, paper batteries are said to be suitable for the increasing appearance of single-use electronic devices, such as environmental sensors, food monitoring devices, etc.

According to the scientists, this is a ground-breaking study that shows the growing awareness of the problem of e-waste and the growing need for a battery with a clear environmental impact.

"The advent of this battery will create new opportunities for unique materials and structures that strike a balance between performance and environmental impact," the researchers said.