Changing the shape of consumer electronics
Composites have found use in many applications over the years, but they have always been at the exotic end of the spectrum – airframe components, Formula One brake disks and so on – where cost isn't a major factor.
Now, it appears that composites have the potential to play a role in consumer electronics – a world where cost is everything. But, interestingly, these materials will not just provide physical strength, as they have in the past; they may also be able to store electrical energy.
Researchers at Imperial College say that, for example, a laptop housing made from its composite could store enough charge that batteries wouldn't be needed.
Such a development, should it come to fruition, could literally change the shape of consumer electronics products.
