For a better battery, try plastic

Forget about metals. For batteries, try plastic.

That’s the theory behind a new battery technology developed by scientists at Brown University. The key chemical compound at the heart of it all is polypyrrole, which reacts with chemicals in gold-coated strips of plastic to simulate a capacitor.

The scientists say the batteries can be super-thin and could power familiar things like mobile phones and laptops. Right now, however, they’re still in the prototype stage, with a limited shelf life and no word on rechargeability.