British media: Iran has turned paper into "supercapacitors" that can be quickly charged and discharged

According to a new study, researchers from the center for plasma physics at the islamic free university of Iran have found that paper can be used as a supercapacitor to store electrical energy, British media said.The new supercapacitor, which is just one layer thick, can bend, fold and still retain electrical energy.

The term "ultracapacitors" refers to devices that store 10 times more energy per unit of volume than conventional capacitors and can be quickly charged and discharged.Paper supercapacitors are lighter and cheaper than other types, and the team led by laila avar has developed them that are more flexible than previous paper supercapacitors, giving them new potential USES."In the near future, these types of supercapacitors will be used more widely in industry and in homes," avar explained.

Currently, heavy, large rechargeable batteries are often required to store large amounts of energy.Supercapacitors can do the same, but up a notch: they charge and discharge more quickly than conventional batteries -- in minutes rather than hours -- and can be recharged and discharged more times over their lifetime.

Carbon has the ideal properties to store energy efficiently and is represented in the form of carbon nanotubes in current capacitors and supercapacitors.Since the 1950s, researchers have exploited carbon's high intensity and its excellent thermal and electrical conductivity;Carbon is also elastic and flexible, so it can be bent and stretched easily.