Wearables boost with magnesium air paper battery
Researchers in Japan have developed a lightweight magnesium air battery on a paper substrate that is activated by water.
The team at Tohoku University bonded magnesium foil onto paper and added the cathode catalyst and gas diffusion layer directly to the other side of the paper. The paper battery achieved an open circuit voltage of 1.8 volts, a 1.0 volt current density of 100 mA/cm², and a maximum output of 103 milliwatts/cm² This is 700 times the output of other reported paper batteries, says the team/.
The paper battery to the test in a pulse oximeter sensor and a gps sensor, illustrating its versatility for wearable devices.
“We drew inspiration for this device from the respiration mechanism of plants,” said research Hiroshi Yabu. “Photosynthesis is analogous to the charge and discharge process in batteries. Just as plants harness solar energy to synthesize sugar from water in the ground and carbon dioxide from the air, our battery utilizes magnesium as a substrate to generate power from oxygen and water.”
“Not only did the battery demonstrate impressive performance results, it operates without using toxic materials – instead using carbon cathodes and a pigment electrocatalyst that have passed stringent assessments,” adds Yabu.
Printed perovskite solar cell and battery combo for wearables
The battery performance depends on the water absorbent paper. Three types of absorbent paper sheets, with densities of 0.56, 0.46 , and 0.31 g cm−3, were used. A current collector, cathode, and water absorbent paper sheet composite were prepared by applying an ink mixture consisting of the catalyst, carbon nanofibers (CNFs), and a binder to the paper sheet, placing a current collector mesh onto the sheet, and drying. The catalytic electrode area was 10 × 10 mm.
Another important difference is that the incubation time to start electricity generation depended on the type of paper used. The filter paper and water-absorbing paper quickly absorbed water and started to generate electricity within 4 s, whereas the paper towel absorbed water slowly and it took 594 s to start generating electricity. Therefore, cell 2 was the most balanced battery in terms of high-power output and current generation starting quickly.
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