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A global research team including scientists from The University of Western Australian has found laxatives may hold the key to creating mobile phones that don’t need batteries to operate, and hybrid cars that run better.

The unlikely discovery came as scientists uncovered materials in laxatives that could be used to create new electrolytes and powerful capacitors (components that store electrical energy) for use in electronics.

Published in Nature Materials today, the breakthrough also involved scientists from the US, UK and France.

Australian lead on the project, Professor Rob Atkin from the UWA School of Molecular Sciences, said by studying the molecular structure of laxatives the team created a detergent-like substance.

“This comprises of oil and soluble parts, two materials that naturally repel each other,” Professor Atkin said.

“The oily parts cluster together and form a barrier that traps positive charged ions. As the amount of positively charged ions near the surface is very high, a much greater charge can be stored, opening up a whole new way of storing electricity.”

“Electric cars are more environmentally friendly than cars that run on petrol, but the current challenge is that they have limited ranges and long charging times, typically more than four hours.

“However, this breakthrough could solve these problems through the development of high performance capacitors.

“This technology could also be used to power mobile phones, meaning faster charging times, and allowing them to run much longer between charges.”

Professor Atkin said the finding held exciting possibilities for future advancements in technology.

“Not only will this create more powerful and efficient devices, but also provide great environmental benefits,” he said.

Media references

Jess Reid (UWA Media and PR Advisor) 08 6488 6876
Professor Rob Atkin (UWA School of Molecular Sciences) 08 6488 4410