PAPER BATTERY: A NOVEL APPROACH FOR AN ULTRA THIN, FLEXIBLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ENERGY SOLUTION FOR COMMUNICATION DEVICES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper presents the process of producing an environmentally friendly battery using waste paper management. The physical and chemical parameters of the paper were determined. Conductive Carbon Nano Tubes and a combination of some powdered metals were made into a paste together with the waste paper. The waste paper served as insulator and also was used for stacking to boost the voltage output. Preliminary result showed the waste paper to have a PH value of 5.6-6.7, mean moisture of 8.3% and density of 0.054g/m2 (wet basis). Analysis of tensile strength indicated the strength derived from factors like fiber strength, length and fiber bonding of the waste paper, which provided the information on the quality of the paper in terms of web breaking. The result of the battery showed potential and could be an alternative source of energy in the near future. The paper battery is found to have the advantage of portability, foldability, light weight and potentiality to charging within a short time while discharging at as low phase. The process was found to be a low-cost method of producing though it has other shortcomings.