Energy harvesting technology breakthrough, step by step can be lit 35 LED lights

University of Wisconsin at Madison's official website recently announced that the Department of materials, associate professor of the school of Wang Xudong led his team developed a cheap and easy way, can be on the steps of power on the floor can be used to convert the electric energy to the floor into a more "green" products. Related research published in the Journal of nano energy.

The new method uses a common and often discarded material, wood pulp. Wood pulp, which mainly consists of wood fiber, is a common component in the floor. These nanofibers are chemically treated and, once combined with untreated nanofibers, produce an electric current.

The new material turns the walking power into electrical energy

"After the nano fiber layer chemically treated and untreated nano fiber chemical treatment layer is wrapped in cardboard, two layers of nanofibers with different electrical properties, electrons from one layer to another layer, thereby forming the current. Coated with two layers of nano wood pulp fiber cardboard, can be integrated into the wood floor by high pressure technology. Wang Xudong said in an interview with science and Technology Daily reporter, this technology is easy to integrate into any kind of wooden floor on the market.

When the two layers of nanofibers are integrated into the floor, they can generate electricity, light up the lighting in the house, or charge the battery. Wood pulp is extremely cheap, rich sources, recyclable and biodegradable, combined with the new technology will be the same as the general floor of the wooden floor, everyone can afford. There have been reports of materials used to generate electricity by walking, but those materials are often used in ceramics and metals, the cost is relatively high.

Wang Xudong said, in addition to cheap, they are through the experiment of nano wood pulp fiber collection of energy life and efficiency of the study. The preliminary test proved that the new material can be used repeatedly. "We have not been able to convert this number to the number of years used to measure the life of the floor, but after the appropriate design modifications, the new material will be able to exceed the floor life. "

The test also shows that the electricity generated at each step on the floor with the new material can also light up 35 LED bulbs.

Roadside energy harvesting technology sought after

Over the years, the Wang Xudong team has been studying the use of vibration to generate electrical energy technology, testing a variety of different materials, optimize the technology known as the friction from the power generation equipment. Clothing is a kind of static electricity generated by friction, a lot of wearable electronic equipment is the use of this friction electrification phenomenon to obtain electricity. The wood pulp nanofibers have expanded the scope of the existing mechanical energy.

The Wang Xudong team's breakthrough is the latest research in the field of green energy research, the technology of roadside energy harvesting. Roadside energy harvesting technology only need to consider where there is enough energy to collect and use, as long as there are places where people can consider the activities of the collection. Wang Xudong said, a way of thinking is the development of wearable devices, another idea is to collect energy intensive shuttle local energy equipment, such as our research and development of floor technology. "Stadiums, shopping centers and other places where more people, as well as crowded aisles and other places, the integration of this new technology to capture the energy of the floor, can produce considerable power. The functional unit thickness of the nanofibers collected energy is less than one millimeter, therefore, the utility model can be implanted into a plurality of layers of functional units so as to improve the power generation, and the thickness of the implanted floor is not obvious.

A strong complement to the future or solar energy

Roadside energy harvesting technology in some aspects than the solar energy more competitive advantages, it does not depend on the weather conditions, so many researchers think that will occupy an important position in the field of renewable energy development alternative to fossil fuels.

But Alistair Sprauer, a researcher at University of New South Wales in Australia, argues that the new material has no advantage over other green energy sources in the same way as existing power floors. "If you want green energy to benefit, you should look for solar or wind power. Although the new material in the idea of innovation, but may not have practical significance. "

Wang Xudong countered that the new material is a powerful complement to solar energy. "The idea is to live in wasted energy into electric energy can be used, it has the advantage of solar energy can not be compared, as for the sun to the underground, or the sun is not enough in the building. "

Wang Xudong has applied to the University, the new material will be set up on the campus prototype for students to conduct publicity and education. They will also continue to optimize the performance of various research.

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