In the United States, researchers are experimenting with sodium to see whether it can power much-improved batteries in the future. Sodium is a soft, silvery metal. It is plentiful and found in seawater. The most common battery used today is made of lithium(锂). These batteries power everything from smartphones to computers to electric vehicles. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego are attempting to build a new generation of batteries powered by sodium instead of lithium.

The California researchers are studying lithium batteries, but in the next few years they plan to begin testing new sodium batteries. Team member Hayley Hirsh says she looks forward to working more with sodium development in the future.

Lithium is costly and not easy to collect because it is widely spread across many parts of the world. Large amounts of water and energy are also required to gather lithium. But sodium is found in the world’s oceans, with a seemingly limitless supply. This would lead to much lower costs to produce sodium for batteries.

Hirsh says she is examining different ways to make batteries that last longer and can store more power.

”Right now it’s just in the lab and we’re working on figuring out how to make it hold more energy and last longer so that it can be used in your phone, in your car or even to store energy for solar, for wind,” she said.

Finding better ways to store more energy at a lower price has been one of the major barriers to developing more powerful batteries. Today it is not really cost-effective for power companies to use batteries. This is because it would cost hundreds of dollars per kilowatt hour to operate.

I am Fionn Ferreira, an Irish teenager. I am very delighted to have won $50,000 for my project. My project came about as I was constantly hearing about plastic pollution on the news. And I also see the real effects on our beaches every day. I discovered, to my shock, that at present no filtration (过滤) for microplastics takes place in any European wastewater treatment centers, so I started looking for a solution.

Seeing that there was none, I decided to investigate further, finally finding a way to use the feerofluid (铁磁流体), a liquid which sticks to the plastic allowing it to be removed using magnets(磁铁). After over 1,000 tests I have proved that my method would remove 87% or higher of microplastics.

I grew up in West Cork, Ireland. My hometown is surrounded by untouched nature. This has been my primary inspiration about how nature works. I soon discovered that science really was in everything. The fact that I lived in such a remote place meant that I had to build my own equipment and lab to conduct tests and experiments.

Inspired by scientists such as Ben Feringa and his work with organic chemistry and nanotechnology (纳米技术), I would like to study chemistry or chemical engineering when finishing my last year of secondary school. Both of these subjects will be suited to me as I really enjoy problem-solving and experiments.

One of the most valuable rewards from the science fair for me is the opportunity to present my work to a group of professional judges. Winning the prize is a great honour to me as this is an acknowledgement of my project and ideas.

Also, winning the prize will give my project more attention. There is nothing I would like to see more than my project to be used in addressing microplastics in our oceans worldwide.

Tablets are really useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit neatly into the hand?

Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable phone is about to become available. In February, South Korean electronics company Samsung and China’s Huawei both launched foldable phones, the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X respectively. Mobile phone use has entered the “foldable future”, The Verge noted.

The technology could change our lives in significant ways. These devices, due to their bendable screens, give us the larger screens we want. Meanwhile, they still fit easily into the pocket. As USA Today noted, they’re “the combination of a small tablet and smartphone, all in a single device”.

The technology could change other devices, too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers. In crowded modern cities, they will help us to maximize available space.

In a keynote address, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile product marketing, Justin Denison, called the foldable screen “the foundation for the smartphone of tomorrow”. “It’s a blank canvas (画布) for us to do something beautiful together.” he said.

So is there nothing to stand in the way of the foldable future? According to tech news website Android Authority, the necessary displays were difficult to produce. In 2012, nine out of every 10 OLED (二极管) screens produced were imperfect. Today, that 10 percent rate has been improved to between 50 and 90 percent. However, at present these foldable devices are expensive. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17,500 RMB. That’s a price that few people will be able to afford.

But if the foldable device isn’t going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming. Patrick Moorhead, an industry analyst told The Verge, “Few are debating if foldable or rollable mobile displays are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom.”