[Courtesy of Nano Energy]
SEOUL -- South Korean researchers developed a new energy harvesting technology which could become a next-generation power source for wearables and smart devices by creating a material with photovoltaic and piezoelectric properties capable of generating electricity using sunlight and wind.
Conventional energy-harvesting devices were mainly split into two groups. A photovoltaic generator like a solar panel uses sunlight or other forms of light to generate electricity while a piezoelectric generator uses physical vibration such as wind.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), a state-funded body, said in a statement on Monday that its researchers and a Yonsei University team have developed technology on the production of a new material which can be used to power small smart sensors.
The researches created strands of nanowires made of special chemical compounds and rearranged them on silicon like a patch of densely packed grass to maximize the photovoltaic generating ability of nanowires. They found the nanowires generated electric currents when they were bent by physical pressure, proving that an energy harvesting device can feature two different types of power generation.
The new technology can be applied to smart sensors and other devices. The research paper will be published in the November issue of Nano Energy, a peer-reviewed academic journal.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
