Sugar battery may power next smartphones

Scientists at Virginia Tech university in the United States have developed a sugar-powered “biobattery” that they say stores 10 times more energy than the equivalent-size lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones, the Guardian reported.

(Virginia Tech)

According to the team of scientists, the results of their work could be practically applied within three years. Recharging could be a matter simply of adding more sugar.

The sugar battery releases energy from sugar instead of chemicals such as lithium, used in batteries found in normal electronic gadgets. This biobattery is a eco-friendly way to produce energy, according to the researchers.

The researchers reported their work in the latest issue of “Nature Communications.”

By Lee Shin-young, Intern reporter (sylee@heraldcorp.com)