Number 93 (Story #3), September 9, 1992 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein THE SMALLEST BATTERY consists of two pillars of silver atoms and two of copper, assembled by STM on a graphite substrate (August 6 issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry). The battery arrangement generates about one-fiftieth of a volt and lasts about 45 minutes. Over that time, the copper pillars shrink while the copper atoms migrate to the silver pillars. One of the Irvine scientists, Reginald Penner, hopes to use the device to study proteins. (Science News, 15 August 1992.)