NEW ELECTRICITY:RESEARCHERS at Princeton University have developed a new, efficient nanotechnology that they believe could lead to mobile phones, laptops and iPods powered by the movement of our lungs.
The application of nanomaterials should make the generation of piezoelectric energy – electricity produced by movement – much more efficient, according to the scientists.
Various piezoelectric trials currently underway include steps that power lights as people walk on them, dance floors that generate power for a nightclub and floors in the Tokyo subway that generate electricity to power lights. However, the materials have always been relatively inefficient.
The Princeton researchers, led by Michael McAlpine at its department of mechanical and aerospace engineering, are now joining nano-sized ribbons of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) with ribbons of flexible silicone rubber. This produces a thin piezo-rubber that could convert 80 per cent of kinetic energy into electrical energy. Up to one watt of power could be generated by breathing, the research team claims, and this could help extend the life of devices such as pacemaker batteries, LED lights, Bluetooth headsets, iPods, mobile phones and netbooks.
