Printable Batteries Should Arrive Next Year 92
FullBandwidth writes "Paper-thin batteries that can be printed onto greeting cards or other flexible substrates have been demonstrated at Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems in Germany. The batteries have a relatively short life span, as the anode and cathode materials dissipate over time. However, they contain no hazardous materials."
Re:Duration (Score:3, Informative)
Old news (and semi-dupe) (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Imagine a stack of 'em (Score:5, Informative)
Not a huge surprise if you think about it; but anybody who thinks "Batteries = safe, Mains = dangerous" might be in for a surprise if they try on a large enough scale...
Re:Umm... (Score:1, Informative)
You must be new here...
Re:Aging and leakage (Score:2, Informative)
From TFA:
Fraunhofer's batteries use zinc anodes and manganese cathodes, which react with one another to produce electricity.
My copy of the CRC Handbook does not list zinc and manganese as organic compounds. Do I need to upgrade my library?
While I agree that these elements do not currently have the bad press enjoyed, probably quite deservedly, by lead and mercury, I'm reminded of the calomel [wikipedia.org] taken as the primary medical treatment by the Lewis and Clark expedition. Scientific thought 200 years ago pointed to mercury as a cure for almost anything that ailed you. Times do change.
Make no mistake, I think that having printable batteries using zinc and manganese is a wonderful thing. I just want to point out that those of you in the environmental movement can be counted on to find something wrong with this technology too, if it becomes popular.
Re:Old news (and semi-dupe) (Score:5, Informative)
Well there's a few differences between the two. Rensselaer's invention was largely based on cellulose whereas the Fraunhofer battery is a matter of zinc and manganese. While the Rensselaer battery actually seemed to be paper (and had the capability to be stacked to produce more power) the Fraunhofer battery seems to be "paper-thin" instead of actual paper. Also, based on the article, I find it unlikely the stacking for additional power output would work.
Further, Rensselaer said they weren't able to figure out a cheap way to mass produce. According to the article, the Fraunhofer battery seems to be fairly cheap already if they're "aiming at a price point under 10 cents per card" instead of a generic "We gotta make it cheaper."
They're similar technologies if all you think of it is "it's a thin battery", but in actuality are nowhere near the same.
These guys would be really surprised... (Score:4, Informative)
Power Paper [powerpaper.com]. Screen-printed zinc-manganese batteries on paper and polymer substrates are at least ten years old. (They're not the only supplier, either.)
Re:Imagine a stack of 'em (Score:3, Informative)
On the plus side, the ability of a 9 volt to deliver high currents isn't all that hot(compared to, say, a microwave transformer) so you'd be less likely to suffer massive damage from thermal effects, unless the lot caught fire. A similarly long chain of lead acid batteries would be substantially nastier in that regard.
That's because the 9 volt battery (deliberately) has quite a lot of internal resistance. Makes it much safer if there is an external short, at a cost of limiting it to low-current applications.
Prior Art (Score:4, Informative)
Power Paper has been producing printable battery tech for YEARS
http://www.powerpaper.com/home.php [powerpaper.com]
Surprisingly, they've taken it into the cosmetics business.
Who wants to find another wheel we can reinvent.