The researchers at Swiss materials science institute Empa said the battery also had minimal environmental impact due to the materials used.
It is made of at least one cell measuring one centimetre squared and consisting of three inks printed onto a rectangular strip of paper.
Sodium chloride (salt) is dispersed throughout the strip of paper and one of its shorter ends has been dipped in wax. An ink containing graphite flakes, which acts as the positive end of the battery (cathode), is printed onto one of the flat sides of the paper while an ink containing zinc powder, which acts as the negative end of the battery (anode), is printed onto the reverse side of the paper.
Additionally, an ink containing graphite flakes and carbon black is printed on both sides of the paper, on top of the other two inks. This ink connects the positive and negative ends of the battery to two wires, which are located at the wax-dipped end of the paper.
When a small amount of...