Let me introduce the world’s smallest fuel cell to you. You can see it on the right; it measures only 3 mm x 3 mm x 1 mm. Researchers from the University of Illinois are responsible for the development of this beauty, that consists of just a few materials: water, metal hydride, some electrodes and a membrane.

The version you see produces 0.7 volts and a 0.1 milliamp current. It runs for about 30 hours, which is pretty long given the size of the cell. You can imagine that 0.7 volts and 0.1 milliamp current are not enough to power any gadget of yours, but of course, this mini-cell is just a step in development.

However, the technology is good for mobile electronics such as smartphones because it does not use gravity to control the flow of water. Instead, it’s surface tension – and it also works when the device is moving.

Find out more about the smallest fuel cell in the world on newscientist.com.