Super strong, lightweight, cheap, multi-purpose made of paper

By dipping a piece of ordinary paper into a blend of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowire, scientists have been able to create a very cheap battery or super lightweight capacitor that can bent and very durable.

The piece of paper can be crumpled, folded or even dipped in acid or basic solvents and still works normally, so it can be used for many applications.

Paper fibers look through the electron microscope (thumbnail) and the carbon nanotube ink. (Photo: Science Magazine)

Stanford University scientist Yi Cui has previously created energy storage devices from nano material, but his new study shows that paper batteries are more durable because they are more durable than conventional paper fibers.

"This supercapacitor can be used to recharge 40,000 times - much higher than a lithium battery," Cui said .

According to him, the flexibility of paper can also meet many smart applications.

"If I wanted, I could paint my wall paper with these nanomaterials so that it would light up an LED light , " Cui said.

Like batteries, capacitors also retain power, but in much shorter time. However, capacitors can store and discharge much faster than batteries.

A paper capacitor would have the advantage of high voltages on a large area and would be very useful in applications such as electric and hybrid cars, which depend on the ability to deliver fast power.

Yi Cui predicts that the greatest impact of paper capacitors is the large-scale storage capacity of the power transmission system.

He argues that at night, too much electricity can be stored for use during peak hours of the day.

Wind farms and solar power systems can also use this new storage technology.