"Ordinary office paper coated with an inky layer of carbon nanotubes or nanowires can make a lightweight, flexible and highly conductive battery or superconductor, according to Stanford University researchers.

The scientists had previously experimented with making batteries using a similar process of painting nanomaterial ink onto a thin layer of plastic. But in an unexpected twist, they found that pores in paper fibers make it hold the ink better than plastic, for a more durable battery.

The research, led by nanomaterials science and engineering researcher Yi Cui, was described this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Jenny Mandel reports for Greenwire in the New York Times December 8, 2009. [2]