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Frictional electrification is a well-known physical phenomenon. Have you ever thought of using electric energy generated by friction to charge your cell phone? A nanogenerator made of cheap materials may fulfill this function.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a prototyping product that uses motion, such as the shaking of a cell phone in a pocket, and the generated static electricity to charge the cell phone battery. This is the first time in the industry to use such power to charge personal electronic devices.
In theory, the energy that people walk and even breath can recharge medical devices implanted in the body or other electronic products. However, there are challenges in how to use the energy generated by this small movement.
Wang Zhonglin, a professor of materials science at Georgia Tech, has been engaged in research in this area for many years and is mainly focused on piezoelectric materials. Using nanotechnology to fabricate piezoelectric materials, Wang Zhonglin and colleagues amplified the piezoelectric effect. But so far, nano-generators based on piezoelectric effects have not produced large power output yet.
Wang Zhonglin's team found that a different approach may be more promising: static electricity and friction. Static electricity can be easily generated by using a comb with a comb in dry weather. Researchers have shown that using a piece of polyethylene terephthalate material and a piece of metal material, this electrostatic charging phenomenon, or "frictional electrification" effect, can generate enough energy. When bent, a current will flow between the two films to achieve charging. If nanotechnology is used to make both surfaces, the effective area will be greater, providing more friction and more power.
This nanogenerator, invented by the Georgia Institute of Technology, can convert 10% to 15% of the mechanical motion energy into electrical energy, and even thinner material conversion rates can reach 40%. Fingernail-sized triboelectric nanomaterials can generate 8 milliwatts of power when bent, enough to drive a pacemaker. A 5x5 cm material can light 600 LED bulbs at the same time, or charge a commercial cell phone battery. Wang Zhonglin's group has published research results in the journal "Nano Letters".
Wang Zhonglin said: "The choice of materials is very large, and the equipment is also very easy to manufacture." There are about 50 kinds of ordinary plastics, metals and other materials that can produce the same effect when paired.
Shashank Priya, director of the Virginia Institute of Energy's Energy Utilization Materials and Systems Center, said: "The energy density generated by this device is very high." He pointed out that other smart materials have not yet produced sufficient energy for practical application.
It is unclear whether such nanogenerators can be used outside the laboratory. Li Jiangyu, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, said: “They also need to prove that real-world mechanical vibrations can generate energy.†In order to be applied in real life, nanogenerators need to use the most energy-providing vibration frequencies, and if nano-generators Only with low-energy mechanical vibrations, the time spent charging the phone will be too long. Wang Zhonglin stated that he is discussing with some companies to develop nano-generators that are used on specific occasions. (Lee Li)
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