Paint that acts as a battery invented by researchers in the US

Scientists have created the first spray-on paint that can store and transfer power just like a battery.

Researchers at Rice University in Houston have created a paint-like substance that acts as a battery, which can be sprayed on to electronics in order to power them.

According to CNBC, the researchers broke down the elements of a traditional battery – current collectors, a cathode, an anode and a separator in the middle – and created a paint that does the job as each element would have normally.

The substance was tested using ceramic bathroom tiles, flexible polymers, glass, stainless steel and a beer glass in order to see if it would hold, reported TG Daily.

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The study discovered that the paint can be sprayed onto any surface.

The researchers say the new battery may revolutionize how new electronics are created and designed.

"This means traditional packaging for batteries has given way to a much more flexible approach that allows all kinds of new design and integration possibilities for storage devices," said Pulickel Ajayan, lead researcher and engineering professor at Rice University, reported Phys Org.

"There has been a lot of interest in recent times in creating power sources with an improved form factor, and this is a big step forward in that direction."

Those involved in the study hope that the new technology could be made to create more green technology such as integrating the paint into solar cells.

The results were published recently in the journal Nature Scientific Reports