The current most popular battery technology, especially for laptop batteries, is lithium-ion, and lithium-ion batteries power nearly every portable electronic device available today. This will probably not always be the case, however, as new technologies are always emerging to replace the old ones.

Silver-zinc

Silver-zinc is a relatively new battery technology that uses silver oxide and zinc as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. Some of the benefits of silver-zinc batteries are a high energy density, low flammability, and lack of toxic chemicals. The main disadvantage is the high price of silver, which makes the cost of silver-zinc batteries very high. Some companies are promoting silver-zinc as a replacement for lithium-ion laptop batteries.

Zinc-air

Zinc-air batteries use zinc and oxygen from the air to create the chemical reaction that releases energy. The main advantages of zinc-air batteries are they are inexpensive to produce and have high energy densities. Zinc-air batteries are currently used in film cameras and hearing aids, among other uses. Recharging zinc-air batteries is not as simple as some technologies, making it a difficult choice for laptop batteries.

Fuel cells

While fuel cells are very different than traditional electrochemical batteries, many believe that fuel cells are the future of portable energy. Fuel cells convert fuel into electrical current by creating a reaction between fuel and an oxidant, in the presence of an electrolyte. Because the electrolyte remains, fuel cells can nearly operate continuously when the flows are maintained correctly. Fuel cells don’t store energy, as a battery does, but instead create it from fuel, which must be replenished. Some scientists believe it to be the future for portable energy, and that it will replace the need for most batteries, including laptop and notebook batteries. Only time will tell, but fuel cell technology is certainly something to watch in the future.