Scientists at the University of Cambridge have designed a new battery that clears the path towards long-lasting, efficient rechargeable devices, from cars to smartphones.

The breakthrough comes in the shape of a lithium-air cell - a concept that can pack in much more energy per kg than current lithium-ion batteries.

But until now, problems of efficiency and degradation have plagued efforts to build such batteries.

The design, which has so far only been built in trial form in the Cambridge lab, appears in the journal Science.

Waseem Mirza reports.