Marking a new step forward on the long and winding road toward better laptop battery technology, researchers at upstate New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have developed a new rechargeable nanoengineered battery that boasts paper-thin dimensions and a completely flexible design.

The battery is geared toward meeting “the trickiest design and energy requirements” for future electronic gadgets, implantable medical equipment, and transportation vehicles.

RPI’s researchers claim that the Inspiron 1720 battery can function in temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 100 below zero. The device is completely integrated and can be printed like paper, and can function as both a high-energy battery and a high-Power supercapacitor, which are generally separate components in most electrical systems.

The researchers said that the battery’s paper-like qualities are deeper than only its appearance: More than 90 percent of the device is made up of cellulose, the same plant cells used in paper. RPI’s researchers then infused this paper with aligned carbon nanotubes, which act as electrodes and allow the storage devices to conduct electricity. The researchers used ionic liquid as the FRU 92P1131 battery electrolyte. Ionic liquid is essentially a liquid salt that contains no water, which means there’s nothing in the batteries to freeze or evaporate, enabling the device’s ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

The new device is not the only paper-like battery device that has been developed of late. Earlier this year, British healthcare technology company Toumaz began using a lithium-ion medical ASM 92P1140 battery  from Power Paper Ltd. that essentially resembles a band-aid. However, RPI’s device is engineered to function as both a lithium-ion battery and a supercapacitor, which purportedly provide the abilities for long and steady power output or a quick burst of high energy, respectively.

According to RPI, the device can be rolled, twisted, folded, or cut into any number of shapes with no loss of mechanical integrity or efficiency. The paper batteries can also be stacked, like a ream of printer paper, to boost the total power output. In addition, human blood or sweat can be used to help power the  1X793 battery .

The device is also touted as being both eco-friendly and affordable. Because so much of it is comprised of paper, and it does not contain any toxic chemicals, it is biocompatible, the researchers claim. RPI said that the paper batteries D5540 battery , D5561 battery , D7310 battery are inexpensive, although the team has not yet developed a way to inexpensively mass produce the devices.

“It’s essentially a regular piece of paper, but it’s made in a very intelligent way,” paper co-author Robert Linhardt, professor of biocatalysis and metabolic engineering at RPI, said in a statement. “The components are molecularly attached to each other: the carbon nanotube print is embedded in the paper, and the electrolyte is soaked into the paper.”

Along with Linhardt, authors of the paper include Pulickel M. Ajayan, professor of materials science and engineering, and Omkaram Nalamasu, professor of chemistry with a joint appointment in materials science and engineering. Senior research specialist Victor Pushparaj, along with postdoctoral research associates Shaijumon M. Manikoth, Ashavani Kumar and Saravanababu Murugesan,  DF230 battery , DF249 battery , F0590A01 battery were co-authors and lead researchers of the project. Other co-authors include research associate Lijie Ci and Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center Laboratory Manager Robert Vajtai.

The team of researchers have already filed a patent protecting the invention, and are currently examining manufacturing options. Details of the project are outlined in the paper “Flexible Energy Storage Devices Based on Nanocomposite Paper” published August 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .