Revolutionary petrol engine could sound the death knell for batteries

A TEAM of scientists have invented a revolutionary type of petrol engine just a few millimetres wide which could soon replace conventional batteries, it emerged yesterday.

The minute micro-engines developed by a team from the University of Birmingham need just a squirt of lighter fluid to get them running.

They have 300 times more energy than standard batteries and will be able to charge up mobile phones and lap-top computers in a matter of seconds.

The team from the university’s School of Engineering are the first to manufacture these engines in a durable, heat resistant material such as ceramic or silicon carbide. Dr Kyle Jiang, lead investigator from the department of Mechanical Engineering, said: “These micro-engines will be much more energy-efficient than standard batteries. It takes 2000 times more energy to manufacture a battery than the battery dispenses while it is being used.

“Soon everyone will be able to charge their mobile phones instantly using a shot of cigarette lighter fuel instead of having to find a socket for a charger and wait while the phone charges up.”

The tiny devices will also be used by the military for driving micro air vehicles and micro robots for reconnaissance purposes as well as miniature cameras.

They can also be used in industry as “micro factories” capable of producing drugs, chemicals or small mechanical components.