We have a lot of devices these days, and they all need to be charged. Though there are now pads for
wireless charging , these are still plugged into a power outlet.
Researchers at The University of Buffalo and Chinese Academy of Science have developed a new device that can generate electricity from body movement by harnessing triboelectric charging. This tiny metallic tab could one day allow us to charge our
devices without having to plug them into an
outlet. With this kind of evolution, you don't need to charge your devices using a power outlet
In many cases, the charging process has barely
evolved at all in the past decade or more.
All it takes, according to their research
recently published in the journal Nano Energy, is a
special metallic tab and a little bit of body movement.
The secret is an effect called triboelectric charging,
and it’s something that most people have actually
seen — or felt — before. Triboelectric charging
happens when a material becomes electrically
charged after coming into frictional contact with
another material.
Most static electricity happens this
way, like when you accidentally touch a person and
you get a small shock from it.
This kind of contact electrification has been quite
difficult to turn into a useful power source, although there have been studies that looked into it. Too often, the materials are difficult to produce or are not cost effectiveness. The metallic tab developed by the researchers supposedly overcomes these hurdles.
The tab features two thin layers of gold that sandwich
a slab of a silicon-based polymer called
polydimethylsiloxane , which is typically used in
contact lenses and Silly Putty. One layer of gold is
stretched and then released, causing it to crumple.
Upon applying force again, movement between the
layers of gold and the polymer creates friction.
“This causes electrons to flow back and forth between the gold layers. The more friction, the greater the amount of power is produced,” lead author Yun Xu, a professor of Institute of Semiconductors at CAS, said
in a press release . This friction can come from the
slightest movement of a finger, the researchers
explained.
As a demonstration in their study, the researchers
used a metallic tab that’s only 1.5 cm (0.6 inches)
long and 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide. The small tab
generated 124 volts, with a maximum current and
density that was enough to light 48 red LED lights at
the same time. Though the tech is not quite there yet,
the researchers hope that their material could soon
charge smartphones and other smart gadgets using
just movement.
“No one likes being tethered to a power outlet or
lugging around a portable charger. The human body
is an abundant source of energy. We thought: ‘Why
not harness it to produce our own power?'” lead
author Qiaoqiang Gan, an associate professor of
electrical engineering at University at Buffalo, said in
the press release.
Gan and his colleagues plan to improve the
performance of this triboelectric charging device
while at the same time working on a portable battery
that can be used to store the energy the tab
generates.
