New nanogenerator harvests energy from friction

'툭' 치면 전기 생긴다…나노 발전기
Creating electricity by clicking or tapping your fingers is no longer nonsense.
It's become reality thanks to a newly-developed generator that harvests energy from friction.
The device is small and flexible, making it ideal for use in wearable devices.
Park Se-young reports.
Tapping a thin layer of hydrogel makes these LED light bulbs flash.
Even when stretched, tapping the gel will still make the bulbs light up.
Researchers in the U.S. combined elastic polymers and hydrogel to create a nanogenerator that can harvest static electricity from friction.


"When you rub your hair against a bookmark and it sticks to the wall, that's because they have different electric charges. Electrons are moving from your hair to the bookmark. This is how electricity is generated."

The nanogenerator can turn other physical movements, like shaking and walking, into electricity.
Currently, it can power a digital clock, …but the researchers' goal is to charge the battery of a smartphone.
With increased power output, the stretchy generators are expected to provide a flexible power source for the increasing number of wearable devices.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.


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