As we get increasingly dependent on having all our gadgets with us at all times, a lot of research is going into battery tehnology. Anyone here not interested in a smaller and more powerful battery? What if it’s environmentally friendly to boot? For a look at one direction where things could be headed, we can look to Finnish company Enfucell and its SoftBattery.
The SoftBattery is a paper battery which means that it will be thin and flexible. While still in development, its manufacture promises to be cheap given that it is based on traditional battery and printing technologies. The battery works by converting chemical energy directly into electricity. Metal is oxidized at one side of paper and manganese oxide or other oxides is reduced at another side of the paper when the battery is connected to applications. The paper-containing electrolyte is used as separator. The metal might be zinc, aluminum, nickel and so on. The process generates electricity without any environmentally harmful by-products and goes on at a very wide temperature and humidity with a stable power output.
For now, the SoftBattery will only be suited for low-energy applications like e-ink but future research into fuel cell or hybrid technologies will likely improve that.
Source: Engadget