A team of researchers in Sweden has developed power paper, a new material with an outstanding ability to store energy.

Using material that consists of nanocellulose and a conductive polymer, a sheet can store as much as 1 F, which is similar to the supercapacitors currently on the market, according to researchers at Linköping University’s Laboratory of Organic Electronics. In the study published in Advanced Science, the team also claims that the paper can be recharged hundreds of times, and each charge only takes a few seconds.

It’s a dream product in a world where increased use of renewable energy requires new methods for energy storage, the researchers said. The power paper can reportedly work from summer to winter, from a windy day to a calm one, from a sunny day to one with heavy cloud cover.

"Thin films that function as capacitors have existed for some time. What we have done is to produce the material in three dimensions. We can produce thick sheets,” said Xavier Crispin, professor of organic electronics and co-author of the study.

The power paper looks and feels like a slightly plasticky paper, according to the researchers. It is just like regular pulp, which has to be dehydrated when making paper.

The structural foundation of the material is nanocellulose, which is cellulose fibres which, using high-pressure water, are broken down to be as thin as 20 nm in diameter. With the cellulose fibres in a solution of water, an electrically charged polymer, also in a water solution, is added. The polymer then forms a thin coating around the fibres.

"The covered fibres are in tangles, where the liquid in the spaces between them functions as an electrolyte,” explained Jesper Edberg, a doctoral student who conducted the experiments together with Abdellah Malti, who recently completed his doctorate.

The new cellulose-polymer material has set a new world record in simultaneous conductivity for ions and electrons, which explains its exceptional capacity for energy storage. It also opens the door to continued development toward even higher capacity. Unlike the batteries and capacitors currently on the market, power paper is produced from simple materials – renewable cellulose and an easily available polymer. It is light, requires no dangerous chemicals or heavy metals and is waterproof.

The team said their next challenge is to develop an industrial-scale process for the power paper.

Together with KTH, Acreo and Innventia, the researchers received SEK 34 million (AU$5.47 million) from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research to continue their efforts to develop a rational production method, a paper machine for power paper, said Professor Berggren.

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