Are batteries based on contact lenses the future of energy storage?
UK company Superdielectrics says its polymer technology could make batteries cheaper and easier to recycle, but its energy density must improve to compete with lithium-ion devices
By Madeleine Cuff
14 July 2025
The Faraday 2 battery developed by Superdielectrics
Superdielectrics
A new battery storage system built using supercapacitor technology could “leapfrog” lithium-ion batteries and revolutionise how renewable power is stored and deployed, say its inventors.
UK firm Superdielectrics unveiled its new prototype storage system, the Faraday 2, at an event in central London on 8 July. It features polymers developed for manufacturing contact lenses, and while less energy dense than lithium-ion batteries, the firm says it has other advantages including a faster charging time, better safety standards, low cost and a recyclable design.
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“We believe that the home energy storage market today is where the computer market was in about 1980,” Superdielectrics’ Marcus Scott told an audience of journalists and investors. “Clean, reliable and affordable electricity is no longer a future vision. It’s a reality, and we believe we’re building the technology that will power it.”
Energy storage is a vital technology for the global shift to green power, necessary to provide continuous power in spite of fluctuating wind and solar generation. Lithium-ion batteries are currently one of the leading storage technologies, but they are expensive, depend on scarce raw materials, are difficult to recycle and can explode if they overheat.
Superdielectrics says it solves these problems with its aqueous battery design based on supercapacitor technology. Supercapacitors store energy on the surface of a material, allowing very fast charge and discharge times, but with low energy density.
