Highly conductive paper for energy-storage devices.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Traditional energy storage devices often rely on expensive or heavy materials.
• Paper is an abundant, low-cost substrate with potential for functionalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore paper as a scalable platform for high-performance energy storage devices.
• To develop a conductive paper by integrating 1D nanomaterials for energy applications.

Main Methods:

• Commercially available paper was coated with single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) and silver nanowire films using solution processes.
• Sheet resistance was reduced to as low as 1 ohm per square.
• Supercapacitors and lithium-ion battery components were fabricated using the conductive paper.

Main Results:

• Conductive paper exhibited excellent film adhesion and simplified coating processes compared to plastics.
• Supercapacitors achieved a specific capacitance of 200 F/g, specific energy of 30-47 Wh/kg, and specific power of 200,000 W/kg.
• The conductive paper served as an effective lightweight current collector for lithium-ion batteries.

Conclusions:

• Conductive paper offers a highly scalable and cost-effective solution for next-generation energy storage.
• This approach significantly enhances performance metrics for supercapacitors and batteries.
• Paper-based energy storage presents a sustainable alternative to conventional materials.