New low-cost wearable energy source from piezoelectric nanocomposite
May 9, 2012
Nanogenerator made from a piezoelectric nanocomposite (p-NC) layer between two metal-coated plastic substrates. Itproduces electricity from mechanical motion. (Credit: KAIST/Advanced Materials)
Researchers from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a new low cost, compact, large-scale energy generator technology using piezoelectric ceramic nanoparticles.
The piezoelectric effect refers to generation of electrical energy from mechanical energy, such as periodic external mechanical deformation by biomechanical movements from fingers or feet.
The team produced a piezoelectric nanocomposite by mixing BaTiO3 piezoelectric nanoparticles with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide. It can output about 1.5V and 150nA. By storing the energy in capacitors, it can generate 2.37 V, enough to drive a stardard LED.
Uses include consumer electronics and sensor networks, and implantable biomedical devices, replacing batteries.
Ref.: Kwi-Il Park at al., Flexible Nanocomposite Generator Made of BaTiO3 Nanoparticles and Graphitic Carbons, Advanced Materials, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200105
Comments (5)
by Jonathan Cole
I hope we can build it into shock absorbers for cars. Finally get some benefit from those potholes, they can charge my battery!
by EM
These were the type of advances you would routinely hear coming from the US Universities. Now the major US innovator seems to be isolated to the Military Industrial Complex (ie DARPA) in order to build bigger and better Big Brother tech and War tech.
by Dusko Basheski
Is it possible this material to be in used for Electro Dynamic Tether in Space, like 2 combined propose Tether and Solar Cell in the same time ?
by melajara
I’m wondering if you could embed this in sails or say in flags exposed to the wind to charge a battery with the collected energy.
by RalfLippold
Excellent – and it is always a pleasure to feel the synapses going wild when seeing the broader picture and connections in my mind. See comment on Google+ https://plus.google.com/113335324300474977924/posts/hxkH1dsRCkm