Energy-storing sheets to power mobiles?
Shoes made from the material could store power while the wearer runs
Energy-harvesting rubber sheets developed at Princeton University could be used to power mobile phones and other electronic devices in the future.
The sheets, which are composed of ceramic nanoribbons embedded onto silicone rubber, work by harnessing the natural energy from body movements such as breathing and walking, and then using this to generate electricity when flexed.
It is thought that shoes made from the material could harness energy from running and walking to power mobile devices, while a sheet worn over the chest could gather energy from breathing motions and be used to power pacemakers.
The team are the first to successfully combine silicone and nanoribbons of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) – a ceramic material which is piezoelectric, meaning it generates an electric voltage when pressure is applied.
PZT is the most efficient form of piezoelectric and is able to convert 80% of any mechanical energy applied to it into electrical energy.
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"The beauty of this is that it's scalable," said Yi Qi, a postdoctoral researcher. "As we get better at making these chips, we'll be able to make larger and larger sheets of them that will harvest more energy."
Earlier this week, it was reported by Frost & Sullivan that energy-harvesting materials are in increasing demand due to technological advances in the field and rising energy prices.
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Comments
It will be a good expansion in energy harvest . I am much inerested in every energy harvest due to our wireless sensor problem. also i appriciate your achievments. please contact me any time about your results.
thanks.
2010.3.8
na jang young