NEC created a new plastic made of corn, and besides being biodegradable, it conducts heat as well as carbon fiber and twice as well as stainless steel. Because of this great ability to chill, laptops and cellphones made of this stuff can be thinner because heatsinks, sheets of heat-dissipating material and fans can be eliminated from their design.
NEC’s mass production target of April, 2008, won’t come a minute too soon, because as cellphones and laptops get faster, their processors run hotter. By then, designers will be aching to take the next step, making techno-devices so slim they can cut you like a knife. And since this new plastic is corn-based, if you get hungry, your cellphone probably won’t taste too bad sautéed with onions on a fine china plate with fava beans and a nice Chianti.
NEC Develops Heat-Conducting Bioplastic for Phones [Mobiledia]
