Is this the end of constant smartphone recharging?

An Oxford University spin-out has invented a new smart material that promises to slash the energy required to power a smartphone screen. The creation threatens to shake up the smartphone and wearable device market, because more than 90pc of the battery power in a mobile device is used to illuminate its display.

Dr Peiman Hosseini, founder of Bodle Technologies, has secured an undisclosed but “significant” amount of seed finance from the Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) fund, the university’s innovation investment arm, which commands £320m in growth capital.

The company is also in talks with some of the world’s largest consumer electronics corporations, although they cannot be named for legal reasons.

The innovation, based on the technology that is used for rewritable DVDs, uses electrical pulses to create vivid, hi-tech displays that require no power and can be viewed clearly, even in direct sunlight.

“We can create an entire new market,” claimed Dr Hosseini. “You have to charge smartwatches every night, which is slowing adoption. But if you had a smartwatch or smart glass that didn’t need much power, you could recharge it just once a week.”

The material can also be used to create smart windows, a market that will be worth $2bn by 2017.

In clever glazing, the material can block infrared waves to keep buildings cool without air-conditioning, Dr Hosseini explained, saving 20pc on energy costs.

The company has developed a low-cost manufacturing method, which could produce prototypes within 12 months.

Dr Hosseini, 32, who has been supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, claimed the technology could be used to create unfakeable holograms in the battle against counterfeits – a £1.1 trillion industry.

The OSI was established by Oxford University and ISIS Innovation, its spin-out arm, to help commercialise maths, physics and life sciences research.

Through Isis Innovation, more than 130 companies have been incorporated since 1988. The university’s Isis Startup Incubator has helped to launch a further 45 software ventures, including background checking business Onfido, which raised $4.5m this year.

Oxford University boasts a number of spinouts valued in excess of £200m, including Oxford Nanopore Technologies and NaturalMotion. Other success stories include AIM and Nasdaq-listed companies such as Velocys and Oxford Immunotec.

“This is the right moment to be an academic at Oxford,” Mr Hosseini said.