VOA常速英语2007年-Paperthin Batteries Offer New Options, Applicat

By Deepak Dobhal
Washington
07 November 2007
 

Scientists in the United States have developed a new kind of battery that looks and feels just like a piece of paper. VOA's Deepak Dobhal reports its inventors say the battery's power and flexibility¹ make it ideal for numerous applications - from powering portable electronics to running medical devices. Jim Bertel narrates².

A small thin strip of black paper could soon be powering anything from small devices to big planes. Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic³ Institute in New York state have developed a new battery made of cellulose, the same plant cells used in most papers.

Pulickel Ajayan helped develop the battery and believes it has the potential to revolutionize the world we live in. "This is almost like a building block. What we have done is made this building block the basic Lego unit which can be stacked or stitched together to make many different devices," he said. 

Ajayan and his team claim the paper thin battery will work just as well as ordinary ones, if not better. The battery's unique flexibility makes it an ideal candidate to be molded into any shape. Car manufacturers are among those anxious to test the new battery.

Ajayan explains the material. "It's a biodegradable material, and it is biocompatible so we can, you know, say that rather than using the very chemically toxic⁴ material that normally goes into batteries, we have something that is much more environmentally benign," he notes.

With no dangerous chemicals, Ajayan says the battery is ideal for medical devices like pacemakers. At present, the battery costs considerably⁵ more than conventional batteries to manufacture. But research is underway to develop a suitable way to mass-produce this revolutionary power source.

1 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。