If laptops are going to get even lighter and smaller, the innovation may come courtesy a team at Johns Hopkins University. Professors Peter Searson and Theodore Poehler have created a rechargeable plastic battery about the size of your driver's license. Unlike traditional nickel-cadmium batteries or their lithium counterparts, this polymer version won't blow up, melt down, or leak toxins. What's more, it's flexible and extremely light. It's already powered a few small appliances such as clocks and calculators. The only trouble spot is, well, staying power.
The battery produces about 2.5 volts, one-fifth the laptop industry standard. Stringing batteries together can boost the voltage, but prolonging battery life remains a challenge. Still, Searson says, it's only a matter of time until researchers figure out a way to pump more capacity into plastic batteries.
This article originally appeared in the August issue of Wired magazine.
