British scientists have created a material that replaces the screen glass for phones, tablets and smartwatches, but uses no power – meaning they could be charged weekly.

The discovery is significant because more than 90 per cent of a device’s battery power illuminates the screen.

Technology firms have focused on improving battery life. But the British experts say tackling the main drain on a gadget’s power may give better results.

Oxford University engineer Dr Peiman Hosseini, who invented the material, told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘You have to charge smartwatches every night. But if you had smart glass, you could recharge it just once a week.’

The innovation uses electrical pulses to create displays that require no power and can be viewed even in direct sunlight. Dr Hosseini’s company, Bodle Technologies, hopes to have a prototype in a year.

‘This is the right moment to be an academic at Oxford,’ Dr Hosseini said.

Battery life is seen as a major stumbling block for modern computing and technology.

Apple, for example, is investigating using fuel cells to power its phones and laptops, and this year was granted a patent for a system it claimed could power its devices for weeks.

In 2012 US energy secretary Steven Chu called for a big push to improve batteries, challenging scientists to produce a battery with five times the capacity within five years.

Aside from mobile gadgets, improving battery technology is seen as being key to the success of electric cars, which currently have a limited mileage before they must stop to be recharged.

(dailymail.co.uk)