Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are developing an all-plastic super-slim battery that is lighter, cheaper, safer, and longer-lasting than its heavy-metal predecessors.
The cell's 20 micron thick anode and cathode are made of poly-3,4,5 TFPT and poly-3,5 DFPT respectively, seperated by a one-milimeter thick electrolyte of polymer gel.
The battery can be made as small and thin as a business card, and could easily be molded to fit a casing or bulkhead. This could prove valuable in powering spacecraft, which have severe size and weight limitations, said Theodore Poehler, professor of engineering at Johns Hopkins.
After five and a half years of work and US$1 million in US Air Force funding, the researchers are now stress testing the prototype batteries to see how long they can hold charges and how many cycles of discharge cycles they can withstand.
In a world of plastics, battery power will become more economical if not ecological. Plastic is cheaper than the lithium and nickel cadium and more easily recycled than today's power cells.
But eco-activists shouldn't get too excited just yet. Commercial applications of the plastic batteries - such as hearing aids and laptop computers - are roughly two years away, said Poehler.
