An Inexpensive Paper-Based Aluminum-Air Battery

Paper-based batteries are an alternative to traditional batteries due to their low cost, portability, and simplicity to operate. In the present work, we demonstrate an improved and inexpensive paper-based aluminum-air battery employing KOH as the electrolyte with sufficient energy to power small dev...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ani Avoundjian, Vicente Galvan, Frank A. Gomez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2017-07-01
Series:Micromachines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/8/7/222
Description
Summary:Paper-based batteries are an alternative to traditional batteries due to their low cost, portability, and simplicity to operate. In the present work, we demonstrate an improved and inexpensive paper-based aluminum-air battery employing KOH as the electrolyte with sufficient energy to power small devices. The dimensions of the device, electrode size, and electrolyte concentration were optimized with respect to amperage and reproducibility. The maximum amperage of 17.4 mA and maximum power of 3.0 mW was achieved with a 9 cm2 battery with anode and cathode electrode areas of 5.1 cm2 and 3.75 cm2 respectively, using 1.5 M potassium hydroxide (KOH). In a series configuration, the batteries generate sufficient energy to power light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a flashlight, a glucometer, and a pregnancy test.
ISSN:2072-666X