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June 9, 2023

Artist’s conceptualization of "Air-gen" effect

An artist’s conceptualization of the "Air-gen" effect, the ability to generate electricity from humidity in the air using material with nanopores less than 100 nanometers in diameter (spaghetti-like objects). The nanopores allow water molecules to pass through, effectively creating a charge imbalance which generates a flow of electricity to the electrodes (yellow rectangle).

[Research supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grants DMR 2027102 and CBET 1844904.]

Learn more in the University of Massachusetts Amherst news story Engineers at UMass Amherst harvest abundant clean energy from thin air, 24/7. (Date of image: May 2023; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: June 9, 2023)

Credit: Derek Lovley/Ella Maru Studio


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