電池的終點：英國人發明看似塑膠物料 可儲存電力
The end of the battery: British invent material that looks like plastic but can store electricity
By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 6:27 PM on 05th February 2010
British scientists have consigned the battery to the dustbin of history.
英國科學家已託運電池至歷史的垃圾桶。
In a breakthrough that could revolutionise the way people use phones, drive cars and even wear clothes, researchers have invented a material that looks like plastic, but which can store and release electricity.
一個突破可以徹底改革人們使用手機、駕車、甚至穿衣服，研究人員已經發明了一種物質，看起來像塑料，但可以儲存和釋放電力。
The invention will allow the casings of mobiles phones and iPods to double up as their batteries - leading to a new generation of electronic gadgets that are as thin as a credit card.
這項發明將容許手提電話和iPods的外殼，去加倍如它們的電池 - 領導新一代的電子產品薄如信用卡。
Smart phones already pack a mobile phone, internet browser and MP3 player into a compact handset. Soon they could be as thin as a credit card
智能手機已經將移動電話、互聯網瀏覽器和MP3播放器紥成一部緊湊的手機。很快，他們可以薄如一張信用卡
The technology could lead to a new type of flexible computer screen that can be folded up and carried around like conventional paper.
科技可引致一種新型靈活的電腦屏幕，可以被摺疊起，如傳統紙張般携帶。
It could even be used create 'electric clothes' that charge up when people move around and which slowly release heat at the touch of a button when the weather gets cold.
甚至可用於製造'電子衣'，在人們走動時充電，當天氣變冷時，摸一粒制，可緩慢地釋放熱量。
The invention is the brainchild of researchers at Imperial College London.
The prototype of the material is around five inches square and a fraction of an inch deep. It takes five seconds to charge up and can power a LED light for 20 minutes.
Dr Emile Greenhalgh, from the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College, said car bodyparts made with the material could replace the batteries of electric and hybrid cars.
'We think the car of the future could be drawing power from its roof, its bonnet or even the door, thanks to our new composite material,' he said.
'Even the Sat Nav could be powered by its own casing. The future applications for this material don’t stop there – you might have a mobile phone 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 a longer time without recharging.
'We’re at the first stage of this project and there is a long way to go, but we think our composite material shows real promise.'
The material is not a conventional battery, but a supercapacitor - similar to the conductors found in electrical circuits which store and release electricity.
It is created from two thin layers of carbon "nanotubes" weaved into a fabric and sandwiched around a sheet of insulating glass fibre.
The layers are coated with a resin that can carry an electric charge.
The new patented material from scientists at Imperial College could do away with the need for traditional batteries forever 來自倫敦帝國學院的科學家的新專利材料，可以永遠摒棄傳統電池的需要
When the 1.5mm thin material is being charged up from the mains, ions - or positively charged atoms - flow between the two layers of carbon fibres, passing through the layer of glass.
Once the material has been charged up, it can be connected to a circuit, allowing electrons to flow out of the material as a current.
Dr Greenhalgh said the composite material stored and discharged electricity more quickly than a conventional battery. And unlike a battery, the supercapacitor polymer does not use chemical processes - making it much quicker to charge up and giving it a much longer lifespan.
The Imperial College researchers have begun a three year, £3 million project with the car company Volvo to use their material in hybrid petrol-electric cars.
The scientists plan to use the material to replace the metal floor of a Volvo car boot which holds the spare wheel. By creating part of the car out of a chargeable material, Volvo would be able to shrink the size of its car's hybrid battery - and cut down the weight of the car by around 15 per cent, making it more efficient.
Dr Greenhalgh said the material could also be used in household gadgets, and even clothes.
'No one has done a material quite like this - and within 10 years it could replace batteries,' he said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1248829/The-end-battery-British-invent-material-looks-like-plastic-store-electricity.html
電池之死 薄膠儲電
2010年02月07日
手機和電子產品都要靠電池才能運作，但不久將來電池會變成歷史，皆因英國科學家研製出可儲存和釋放電力的薄片塑膠，意味手機變得像信用卡般薄。
薄片塑膠由三層物料組成，外面兩層是合成樹脂覆蓋的碳纖維，中間是玻璃纖維層，由倫敦大學帝國學院航空學和富豪車廠合作研製而成。研究員格林哈爾希展示五平方吋的薄片塑膠原型（圖），充電 5分鐘，令 LED點亮 20分鐘。格林哈爾希強調，塑膠片的物料不是電池，而是超級電容器。跟電池比較，薄片塑膠充電較快，壽命較長。另一賣點是超薄，勢掀起手機和衣着革命。一旦薄片塑膠廣泛使用，電腦螢幕可像紙一樣捲起，手機和 iPod因毋須再用電池，可變得像卡片那樣薄；還促使電子衣服面世，在天氣冷時發熱。
英國《每日郵報》
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/template/apple/art_main.php?iss_id=20100207&sec_id=15335&subsec_id=10943028&art_id=13705985
巧飛輪"趕走"笨電池 磁懸浮式飛輪儲能UPS發展迅速
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