A Battery Made of Wood

What do geckos, static electricity and wood have in common? They're all contributing to a concept for a new battery design. In this episode, we'll meet Doctor Mikio FUKUHARA. He's working on a potentially revolutionary change to one of the fundamental components of a battery, the electrolyte substance used to store electricity. A special type of laboratory-produced wood known as "cellulose nanofiber" has microscopic structures that are key to this breakthrough idea. We'll join FUKUHARA as he consults with the inventor of this new high-performance artificial wood.

Cellulose nanofiber: a material made from wood pulp
The tiny gecko toe pad-like fibrils on the surface of cellulose nanofibers
A prototype battery using cellulose nanofibers
Dr. Mikio FUKUHARA

Transcript