Abstract

A paper battery is a battery engineered to use a paper-thin sheet of cellulose (which is the major constituent of regular paper, among other things) infused with aligned carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes act as electrodes; allowing the storage devices to conduct electricity. The battery, which functions as both a lithium-ion battery and a supercapacitor, can provide a long, steady power output comparable to a conventional battery, as well as a supercapacitors quick burst of high energyand while a conventional battery contains a number of separate components, the paper battery integrates all of the battery components in a single structure, making it more energy efficient. 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.

Chapter- 1

INTRODCUTION
1.1 What is a paper battery A paper battery is a flexible, ultra-thin energy storage and production device formed by combining carbon nanotubes with a conventional sheet of cellulose-based paper. A paper battery acts as both a high-energy battery and supercapacitor , 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. 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 volts of electricity from a sample the size of a postage stamp. The devices are formed by combining cellulose with an infusion of aligned carbon nanotubes that are each approximately one millionth of a centimetre 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. 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. Paper batteries are also biodegradable, a need only partially addressed by current e-cycling and other electronics

disposal methods increasingly advocated for by the green computing movement.

Fig 1.1 the black piece of paper can light a small bulb 1.2 What is a carbon nanotube? Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) an are allotropes object of carbon with of a cylindrical nanostructure. intermediate size

A nanostructure is

between molecular and microscopic (micrometer-sized) structures. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material. These cylindrical carbon molecules have unusual properties, which are valuable for nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science and technology. In particular, owing to their extraordinary thermal conductivity and mechanical and electrical properties, carbon nanotubes find applications as additives to various structural materials. For instance, in (primarily carbon fiber) baseball bats, golf clubs, or car parts, where nanotubes form only a tiny portion of the material(s). Nanotubes are members of the fullerene structural family, which also includes the spherical buckyballs, and the ends of a nanotube may be capped with a hemisphere of the buckyball structure. Their name is derived from their long, hollow structure with the walls formed by one-atom-thick sheets of carbon, called graphene. These sheets are rolled at specific and discrete ("chiral") angles, and the combination of the rolling angle and radius decides the nanotube properties; for example, whether the individual nanotube shell is a metal or semiconductor. Nanotubes are categorized as single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs)

and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs). Individual nanotubes naturally align themselves into "ropes" held together by van der Waals forces, more specifically, pi-stacking. Applied quantum chemistry, specifically, orbital hybridization best describes chemical bonding in nanotubes. The chemical bonding of nanotubes is composed entirely of sp2 bonds, similar to those of graphite. These bonds, which are stronger than the sp3 bonds found in alkanes, provide nanotubes with their unique strength. In a paper battery, a paper-thin sheet of cellulose (which is the major constituent of regular paper, among other things) infused with aligned carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes act as electrodes; allowing the storage devices to conduct electricity. The battery, which functions as both a lithium-ion battery and a supercapacitor, can provide a long, steady power output comparable to a conventional battery, as well as a supercapacitors quick burst of high energyand while a conventional battery contains a number of separate components, the paper battery integrates all of the battery components in a single structure, making it more energy efficient

Fig. 1.2 Carbon nanotubes

Chapter-2

DEVELOPMENT OF PAPER BATTERIES

The creation of this unique nano-composite 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 Dr. 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 coauthors include research associate Lijie Ci and Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center Laboratory Manager Robert Vajtai. One method of manufacture, developed by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MIT, begins with growing the nanotubes 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 nanotubes to act as an electrode . When two sheets are combined, with the cellulose sides facing inwards, a supercapacitor 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 biocompatible and environmentally friendly, especially when compared to the traditional lithium ion battery used in many present-day electronic devices and laptops. Widespread commercial deployment of paper batteries will rely on the development of more inexpensive manufacturing techniques for carbon nanotubes. 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. In addition to the developments announced in 2007 at RPI and MIT, researchers in Singapore announced that they had developed a paper battery powered by ionic solutions in

2005. NEC has also invested in R & D into paper batteries for potential applications in its electronic devices.

Fig. 2.1 A Power Paper cell integrated with a sheet of paper

Chapter -3

CONSTRUCTION AND STRUCTURE

3.1. Construction A very brief explanation has been provided. Cathode: Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Anode: Lithium metal (Li+) Electrolyte: All electrolytes (incl. bio electrolytes like blood, sweat and urine) Separator: Paper (Cellulose)

The process of construction can be understood in the following steps: Firstly, a common Xerox paper of desired shape and size is taken. Next, by conformal coating using a simple Mayer rod method, the specially formulated ink with suitable substrates (known as CNT ink) is spread over the paper sample. The strong capillary force in paper enables high contacting surface area between the paper and nanotubes after the solvent is absorbed and dried out in an oven. A thin lithium film is laminated over the exposed cellulose surface which completes our paper battery. This paper battery is then connected to the aluminum current collectors which connect it to the external load. The working of a paper battery is similar to an electrochemical battery except with the constructional differences.

3.2 Structure

Fig.3.2 Structure of a paper battery The paper battery is designed to use a paper-thin sheet of cellulose (which is the major constituent of regular paper, among other things) infused with aligned carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes act as electrodes, allowing the storage devices to conduct electricity. The battery will currently provide a low, steady power output, as well as a supercapacitors quick burst of energy. While a conventional battery contains a number of separate components, the paper battery integrates all of the battery components in a single structure, making it more energy efficient and lighter. 3.1.1 As a super capacitor While the paper battery will function like a conventional battery, it will be able to store energy like a super capacitor. A capacitor is a device that stores an electric charge between two plates, measured in farads, as opposed to a battery's chemical reaction between acid and metal. Carbon nanotubes have very high surface area for such a small structure, giving them an electrical conductivity equivalent to copper. Thus, the paper battery will be able to supply a constant power output as well as discharge high-energy bursts. Conventional capacitors can only store just a few microfarads (F), whereas the paper battery has been calculated to have a capacitance ranging 22 to 36 Farads per gram. Developments are showing that the carbon nanotube based batteries can exhibit an even

higher level of conductivity when combined with titanium oxide nano-wires. The battery and super capacitor portions of the paper battery are separated by layers of non-conductive cellulose, which then sandwich a thin layer of lithium and act as an electrode.

Fig 3.2 Structure of the battery as a super capacitor

Chapter-4

WORKING OF PAPER BATTERIES

Fig. 4.1 a) A conventional lithium-ion battery contains a graphite anode (grey hexagons), a lithium cathode (lithium cobalt oxide in this case; brown circles), and a liquid electrolyte containing lithium ions (green) in a fibre separator (orange). The removal of lithium ions by the simultaneous oxidation of cobalt in the cathode and insertion of lithium ions into the graphite anode charges the battery. Electricity is produced when ions move in the opposite direction and the cobalt is reduced. b) A lithium-ion battery made from nanocomposite paper is more compact and weighs less than a conventional lithium-ion battery. The paper, which is made by infiltrating cellulose into carbon nanotubes grown on a silicon substrate, is impregnated with the electrolyte, thus combining the cathode (the nanotubes) and the separator (the cellulose) in a single unit. Depositing a thin film of lithium on one side of the paper and adding aluminium current collectors completes the battery configuration. Electricity is produced when lithium is oxidized to form lithium ions, which are inserted into the nanotube cathode. Charging occurs when the ions move in the opposite direction and are deposited as lithium metal. The battery produces electricity in the same way as the conventional lithium-ion batteries that power so many of today's gadgets, but all the components have been incorporated into a lightweight, flexible sheet of paper.

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The devices are formed by combining cellulose with an infusion of aligned carbon nanotubes. The carbon is what gives the batteries their black colour. These tiny filaments act like the electrodes 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 1500C. The paper is made conducting material by dipping in ink. The paper works as a conductive layer. Two sheets of paper kept facing inward act like parallel plates (high energy electrodes). It can store energy like a super capacitor and it can discharge bursts of energy because of large surface area of nano tubes. Chlorine ions flow from the positive electrode to the negative one, while electrons travel through the external circuit, providing current. The paper electrode stores charge while recharging in tens of seconds because ions flow through the thin electrode quickly. In contrast, lithium batteries take 20 minutes to recharge.

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Chapter-5

PROPERTIES OF PAPER BATTERIES

5.1 Useful properties The properties of Paper Batteries are mainly attributed to the properties of its constituents. 5.1.1 Properties of Cellulose: High Tensile strength; Low Shear Strength Biodegradable Biocompatible Excellent Porosity & Absorption Capacity Easily Reusable and Recyclable Non Toxic

5.1.2 Properties of Carbon Nanotubes: Ratio of Width: Length: 1:107 High tensile Strength (Greater than Steel). Low Mass density & High Packing Density. Very Light and Very Flexible. Very Good Electrical Conductivity (better than Silicon). Low resistance (~33 ohm per sq. inch). Output Open Circuit Voltage(O.C.V): 1.5-2.5 V (For a postage stamp sized Specimen). The O.C.V. of Paper Batteries is directly proportional to CNT concentration. Stacking the Paper and CNT layers multiplies the Output Voltage; Slicing the Paper and CNT layers divides the Output Voltage. Thickness: typically about 0.5-0.7mm. Nominal continuous current density: 0.1 mA/cm 2/ active area. Nominal capacity: 2.5 to 5 mAh/cm2/ active area. Shelf life (RT): 3 years. Temperature operating range: -75C to +150C.

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No heavy metals (does not contain Hg, Pb, Cd, etc.) No safety events or over-heating in case of battery abuse or mechanical damage No safety limitations for shipment, packaging storage and disposal.

5.1.3 Additional Properties acquired by Paper Batteries: Output Open Circuit Voltage (O.C.V): 1.5-2.5V (For a postage stamp sized specimen) The O.C.V. of Paper Batteries is directly proportional to CNT concentration. Stacking the Paper and CNT layers multiply the Output Voltage. Slicing the Paper and CNT layers divides the Output Voltage. For length, l = V volts

For length,(l/2) = (V/2) volts 5.2. Advantages over conventional batteries: 1. Biodegradable & Non Toxic: Since its major ingredients are of organic origin, it is a biodegradable and non toxic product. 2. Biocompatible: They are not easily rejected by our body's immune system if implanted into human body. 3. Easily Reusable & Recyclable: Being cellulose based product it is easily recyclable and reusable, even with the existing paper recycling techniques. 4. Durable: It has a shelf life of three years (at room temperature). Under extreme conditions .It can operate within -75 to +150C. 5. Rechargeable: It can be recharged upto 300 times using almost all electrolytes, including bio-salts such as sweat, urine and blood. 6. No Leakage & Overheating: Owing to low resistance, it does not get overheated even under extreme conditions. Since there are no leaky fluids, so even under spontaneous or accidental damage, there is no leakage problem. 7. Very light weight & flexible. 8. Easily moldable into desired shapes & sizes. 9. Customizable output voltage:

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By varying CNT concentration. By stacking & slicing.

5.3. Limitations It would not be logical only to ponder over the miraculous properties and applications of Paper Batteries .Things need to be discussed at the flip side as well. Following are some of them: 1) Have Low Shear strength: They can be torn easily. 2) The Techniques and the Set-ups used in the production of Carbon Nanotubes are very expensive and very less efficient. These are: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Arc discharge Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) Laser Ablation Electrolysis

3) When inhaled, their interaction with the Microphages present in the lungs is similar to that with Asbestos fibers, hence may be seriously hazardous to human health.

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Chapter-6

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
With the developing technologies and reducing cost of CNTs, the paper batteries will find applications in the following fields: 1. In Electronics: in laptop batteries, mobile phones, handheld digital cameras: The weight of these devices can be significantly reduced by replacing the alkaline batteries with lightweight Paper Batteries, without compromising with the power requirement. Moreover, the electrical hazards related to recharging will be greatly reduced. in calculators, wrist watch and other low drain devices. in wireless communication devices like speakers, mouse, keyboard, Bluetooth headsets etc. in Enhanced Printed Circuit Board(PCB) wherein both the sides of the PCB can be used: one for the circuit and the other side (containing the components )would contain a layer of customized Paper Battery. This would eliminate heavy step-down transformers and the need of separate power supply unit for most electronic circuits. 2. In Medical Sciences: in pacemakers for the heart in artificial tissues (using Carbon nanotubes) in cosmetics, drug-delivery systems in biosensors, such as glucose meters, sugar meters, etc.

3. In Automobiles and Aircrafts: in hybrid car batteries in long air flights reducing refuelling for light weight guided missiles for powering electronic devices in satellite programs.

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Chapter-7 FUTURE POTENTIAL Batteries and capacitors are being steadily improved, but electricity storage is much more difficult and expensive than liquid fuels and probably will be so forever. The world is not going to change as a result of this new invention any time soon. Professor Robert Linhardt, of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the paper battery was a glimpse into the future of power storage. Professor Linhardt admitted that the new battery is still some way from the commercial market.The devices were making are only a few inches across. We would have to scale up to sheets of newspaper size to make it commercially viable, he said. But at that scale, the voltage could be large enough to power a car, he said. However, carbon nanotubes are very expensive, and batteries large enough to power a car are unlikely to be cost effective. Professor Linhardt said integrated devices, like the paper battery, were the direction the world was moving. They are ultimately easier to manufacture, more environmentally friendly and usable in a wide range of devices, he said. The ambition is to produce the paper battery using a newspaper-type roller printer. 7.1. Indian Scenario One of the major problems bugging the world now is energy crisis. Every nation needs energy and everyone needs power. And this problem which disturbs the developed countries perturbs the developing countries like India to a much greater extent. Standing at a point in the present where there cant be a day without power, Paper Batteries can provide an altogether path-breaking solution to the same. Being Biodegradable, Light-weight and Nontoxic, flexible paper batteries have potential adaptability to power the next generation of electronics, medical devices and hybrid vehicles, allowing for radical new designs and medical technologies. But India still has got a long way to go if it has to be self-dependant for its energy solution. Literature reflects that Indian researchers have got the scientific astuteness needed for such revolutionary work. But what hinders their path is the lack of facilities and funding. Of course, the horizon of inquisitiveness is indefinitely vast and this paper is just a single step towards this direction. Unfortunately, not much work has been carried out India, except for a few notable ones. The work is carried out as a joint research project of the Kalasalingam University in

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Krishnankovil, India; the Indian Institute of Technology ,Mumbai; and IMRAM Tohoku University in Japan, assisted by Indias Department of Science and Technology. Kalasalingam Universitys G. Hirankumar brought optimized cathode materials (CNT) to Tohoku Universitys laboratories for three months of joint development. Research is ongoing.

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Chapter-8 CONCLUSION We have discussed the various terminologies, principle of operation of a battery and recent developments related to it. The life of a battery is an important parameter which decides the area of application of the battery. Increased use of batteries gives rise to E-waste which poses great damage to our environment. In the year 2007 paper battery was manufactured. The technology is capable of replacing old bulky batteries. The paper batteries can further reduce the weight of the electronic gadgets. The adaptations to the paper battery technique in the future could allow for simply painting the nanotube ink and active materials onto surfaces such as walls. These surfaces can produce energy.

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REFERNCES Thin, Flexible Secondary Li-Ion Paper Batteries Liangbing Hu, Hui Wu, Fabio La Mantia, Yuan Yang, and Yi Cui,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. Paper Battery-A Promising Energy Solution For India,S.Sar, Professor, Department of Engineering Chemistry, B.I.T. Durg .

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_battery

www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/8426/paper-battery.html www.pnas.org

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