Although mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones let us communicate, work, and access information wirelessly, their batteries must still be charged by plugging them in to an outlet. But engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time developed a method to safely charge a smartphone wirelessly using a laser. As the…

Supercapacitors are an aptly named type of device that can store and deliver energy faster than conventional batteries. They are in high demand for applications including electric cars, wireless telecommunications and high-powered lasers. But to realize these applications, supercapacitors need better electrodes, which connect the supercapacitor to the devices that depend on their energy. These…