Researchers at Stanford university in the US have conducted a series of experiments to create nanotube coated paper capable of holding a charge.

Paper's fibrous structure makes it suitable to hold carbon nanotubes connected by silver nanowires that are deposited on to the paper in the form of an ink, turning it into a capacitor that can take and discharge electricity up to 40,000 times - much higher than lithium-ion equivalents.

It also benefits from being a robust substrate capable of being bent and even folded.

Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the university said: "Society really needs a low-cost, high-performance energy storage device, such as batteries and simple supercapacitors."

"This technology has potential to be commercialised within a short time," added Peidong Yang, professor of chemistry at the university of California-Berkeley.

"I don't think it will be limited to just energy storage devices," he said. "This is potentially a very nice, low-cost, flexible electrode for any electrical device."

Cui said he expected applications for the technology to include systems to balance electricity grids that saves excess energy generated during off-peak hours for peak use.

Paper batteries may also find a home in applications such as electronic elements of printed products. Earlier this year, 100,000 copies of Esquire magazine featured a digital screen built in to the cover.