{"46381":{"#nid":"46381","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nanogenerators Produce Electricity from Running Rodents","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECould hamsters help solve the world\u2019s energy crisis? Probably not, but a hamster wearing a power-generating jacket is doing its own small part to provide a new and renewable source of electricity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd using the same nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have also generated electrical current from a tapping finger \u2013 moving the users of BlackBerry devices, cell phones and other handhelds one step closer to powering them with their own typing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUsing nanotechnology, we have demonstrated ways to convert even irregular biomechanical energy into electricity,\u201d said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regent\u2019s professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. \u201cThis technology can convert any mechanical disturbance into electrical energy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe demonstrations of harnessing biomechanical energy to produce electricity were reported February 9 in the online version of the American Chemical Society journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ENano Letters\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Air Force, and the Emory-Georgia Tech Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study demonstrates that nanogenerators \u2013 which Wang\u2019s team has been developing since 2005 \u2013 can be driven by irregular mechanical motion, such as the vibration of vocal cords, flapping of a flag in the breeze, tapping of fingers or hamsters running on exercise wheels. Scavenging such low-frequency energy from irregular motion is significant because much biomechanical energy is variable, unlike the regular mechanical motion used to generate most large-scale electricity today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe nanogenerator power is produced by the piezoelectric effect, a phenomenon in which certain materials \u2013 such as zinc oxide wires \u2013 produce electrical charges when they are bent and then relaxed. The wires are between 100 and 800 nanometers in diameter, and between 100 and 500 microns in length.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo make their generators, Wang\u2019s research team encapsulated single zinc oxide wires in a flexible polymer substrate, the wires anchored at each end with an electrical contact, and with a Shottky Barrier at one end to control current flow. They then attached one of these single-wire generators to the joint area of an index finger, or combined four of the single-wire devices on a \u201cyellow jacket\u201d worn by the hamster.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe running and scratching of the hamster \u2013 and the tapping of the finger \u2013 flexed the substrate in which the nanowires were encapsulated, producing tiny amounts of alternating electrical current. Integrating four nanogenerators on the hamster\u2019s jacket generated up to 0.5 nanoamps; less current was produced by the single generator on the finger.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWang estimates that powering a handheld device such as a Bluetooth headset would require at least thousands of these single-wire generators, which could be built up in three-dimensional modules.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond the finger-tapping and hamster-running, Wang believe his modules could be implanted into the body to harvest energy from such sources as muscle movements or pulsating blood vessels. In the body, they could be used to power nanodevices to measure blood pressure or other vital signs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause the devices produce alternating current, synchronizing the four generators on the hamster\u2019s back was vital to maximizing current production. Without the synchronization, current flow from one generator could cancel out the flow from another.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team \u2013 which also included Rusen Yang, Yong Qin, Cheng Li and Guang Zhu \u2013 solved that problem by using a substrate that was flexible in only one direction, forcing the generators to flex together. Still, there was substantial variation in the output from each generator. The differences result from variations in the amount of flexing and from inconsistencies in the hand-built devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe nanogenerators have to be synchronized, with the output of all of them coordinated so the current adds up constructively,\u201d Wang noted. \u201cThrough engineering, we would expect this can be resolved in the future through improved design and more consistent manufacturing.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo ensure that the current measured was actually produced by the generators, the researchers took several precautions. For instance, they substituted carbon fibers \u2013 which are not piezoelectric \u2013 for the zinc oxide nanowires and measured no output electrical signal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team encountered a number of obstacles related to its four-legged subjects. Wang\u2019s team first tried to outfit a rat with the power-generating jacket, but found that the creature wasn\u2019t very interested in running.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the suggestion of Wang\u2019s daughter, Melissa, the researchers found that hamsters are more active creatures \u2013 but only after 11 p.m. They had to experiment with a jacket configuration that was tight enough to stay on and to wrinkle the nanogenerator substrate \u2013 but not so tight as to make the hamster uncomfortable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe believe this is the first demonstration of using a live animal to produce current with nanogenerators,\u201d Wang added. \u201cThis study shows that we really can harness human or animal motion to generate current.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Brett Israel (404-385-1933) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebrett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: Zhong Lin Wang (404-894-8008) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:zhong.wang@mse.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ezhong.wang@mse.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Tapping Finger Also Helps Generate Electricity"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECould hamsters help solve the world\u2019s energy crisis? Probably not, but a hamster wearing a power-generating jacket is doing its own small part to provide a new and renewable source of electricity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Biomechanical energy from humans and animals produces electricit"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2009-02-13 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:19","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2009-02-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2009-02-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"46382":{"id":"46382","type":"image","title":"Hamster with generator","body":null,"created":"1449174401","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:26:41","changed":"1475894419","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:19","alt":"Hamster with generator","file":{"fid":"101139","name":"tbm29278.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tbm29278_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tbm29278_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":505490,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tbm29278_0.jpg?itok=NbAfR1Qg"}},"46383":{"id":"46383","type":"image","title":"Hamster in wheel","body":null,"created":"1449174428","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:27:08","changed":"1475894419","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:19","alt":"Hamster in wheel","file":{"fid":"101140","name":"tur28844.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tur28844_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tur28844_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1800055,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tur28844_0.jpg?itok=Jq1xVkYE"}}},"media_ids":["46382","46383"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtresearchnews.gatech.edu\/movies\/hamster-power.mpg","title":"Video of hamster generating current"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/FacultyStaff\/MSE_Faculty_researchbios\/Wang\/wang.html","title":"Zhong Lin Wang"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.nanoscience.gatech.edu\/zlwang\/","title":"Team Web site"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1335","name":"biomechanical"},{"id":"436","name":"electricity"},{"id":"1334","name":"nanogenerator"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}