London, Dec 4 (IANS): Swedish researchers have developed power paper - a new material with an outstanding ability to store energy.

The material looks and feels like a slightly “plasticky” paper and consists of nanocellulose and a conductive polymer, the researchers said.

One sheet, 15 centimetres in diametre and a few tenths of a millimetre thick can store as much energy as supercapacitors currently on the market can. 

The material can be recharged hundreds of times and each charge only takes a few seconds.

In a world where the increased use of renewable energy requires new methods for energy storage, the new product could be of immense value, according to the study.

"Thin films that function as capacitors have existed for some time. What we have done is to produce the material in three dimensions. We can produce thick sheets," said study co-author Xavier Crispin, professor of organic electronics at Linkoping University in Sweden.

The newly developed power paper is light in weight, requires no dangerous chemicals or heavy metals and it is waterproof, the study said.

The findings were published in the journal Advanced Science.