The battery's dead: Along comes plastic to store power

.....

It means the cases of mobiles and iPods could soon double up as their power source - leading to gadgets as thin as credit cards.

The technology could also lead to flexible computer screens that can be folded up and carried around like a piece of paper, the Daily mail reported on its website Saturday.

And it could even be used to create 'electric clothes' that charge up as a person moves around and which slowly release heat when the weather gets cold.

Emile Greenhalgh, from Imperial College London's Department of Aeronautics, said the material is not really a battery, but a supercapacitor - similar to those found in typical electrical circuits.

His team's prototype - which is around five inches square and wafer-thin - takes five seconds to charge from a normal power supply and can light an LED for 20 minutes.

Greenhalgh, who is working with car company Volvo on a three-year, three million pounds (about USD 4 million) project to use the material in hybrid petrol-electric cars, said: "We think the car of the future could be drawing power from its roof or even the door, thanks to our material.

"The applications for this material don't stop there - you might have a mobile that is as thin as a credit card because it no longer needs a bulky battery, or a laptop that can draw energy from its casing so it can run for longer."

The material charges and discharges electricity quicker than a conventional battery, and does not use chemical processes - giving it a longer lifespan, he added.

The scientists plan to use it to replace the metal floor of a Volvo car's boot, which holds the spare wheel.

This would mean Volvo could shrink the size of its hybrid battery - and cut down the weight of the car, making it more efficient.

Greenhalgh said: "No one has created a material like this - within ten years it could replace batteries."