Paintable batteries - the future of solar power?
3rd Jul 2012
We've reported on some pretty obscure inventions in recent months and today is no exception - researchers at Rice University have developed a new paintable lithium-ion battery.
Now you might be wondering why this creation is featuring on a solar power website, well the team behind it believe it could soon complement solar panels.
The device is built up from spray-painted layers, each of which represents the components of a traditional battery.
These can easily be charged with a small solar cell, leading the team to believe that the paintable batteries can be integrated into panels to make their energy-harvesting qualities hard to beat.
It's not uncommon to hear about the use of hand-painted batteries, but this latest technology has the potential to revolutionise the solar market.
Lead author Neelam Singh explained: "Spray painting is already an industrial process, so it would be very easy to incorporate this into industry."
The team tested the batteries on a whole host of materials to check how well they stuck, including glass, stainless steel, bathroom tiles and even a beer stein.
Could paintable rechargeable batteries become a mainstay for the solar industry? Watch this space!
Posted by Mike Peacock
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Solar Power