News Release 06-064
Nanogenerators May Spark Miniature Machines
Devices convert simple motion into electricity
April 13, 2006
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have crafted tiny nanowires that generate electricity when they vibrate. Just like the quartz crystal in a watch, the zinc-oxide nanowires are piezoelectric, which means bending causes them to produce an electrical charge.
Only 20-40 billionths of a meter in diameter, each fiber partners with millions of others to form a nanogenerator capable of producing significant amounts of energy from the slightest activity. According to the researchers, motions from body movement, the stretching of muscles and even the flow of liquids should be able to generate electric charges in the wires--perfect for implantable medical devices, "smart" apparel and a variety of other applications.
Supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research Metals program, NASA and DARPA, physicist Zhong Lin "ZL" Wang and graduate student Jinhui Song report their findings in the Apr. 14, 2006, issue of the journal Science.
Additional information is available in the Georgia Tech press release linked below and at www.EurekAlert.org.
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Zhong Lin Wang leads a nanoscience and nanotechnology research group at Georgia Tech.
Credit and Larger Version -
Zinc oxide nanowires produce current when bent.
Credit and Larger Version
Media Contacts
Joshua A. Chamot, NSF, (703) 292-7730, email: jchamot@nsf.gov
John Toon, Georgia Institute of Technology, (404) 894-6986, email: jtoon@gatech.edu
Program Contacts
Harsh Deep Chopra, NSF, (703) 292-4543, email: hchopra@nsf.gov
Principal Investigators
Zhong Lin Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology, (404) 894-8008, email: zhong.wang@mse.gatech.edu
Related Websites
Georgia Tech press release: http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=932
Zhong Lin Wang laboratory homepage: http://www.nanoscience.gatech.edu/zlwang/index.html
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