Researchers generate electricity with aluminum foil and adhesive tape
Researchers have apparently succeeded in generating electricity with a nanogenerator made of adhesive tape and aluminum foil. Apparently up to 476 small LED lamps can be operated with the everyday components.
Due to increasing digitization, our energy requirements are also increasing. It is therefore not surprising that scientists around the world are researching new ways to generate electricity locally and as effectively as possible. A promising concept is the nanogenerator, which generates small amounts of electricity in a very small space.
One Research group around the scientist Moon-Hyung Jang from the University of Alabama has now further developed such a generator. The technology itself is not new, but the materials in particular stand out.
Because the nanogenerator consists only of adhesive tape and an aluminum-coated PET film. The production is therefore particularly inexpensive.
Novel nanogenerator made of aluminum foil and adhesive tape
The device can therefore also be manufactured relatively easily. All you have to do is stick an adhesive tape onto an aluminum base and place a coated plastic film over it. Positively charged particles then collect on the adhesive tape, while negative charges collect in the film.
If the construct is pressed together, the inflowing air causes the particles to shift. The released electrons then flow towards the aluminum foil, creating voltage. The power density should be around 170 watts per square meter. This corresponds to an increase in performance by a factor of 1.5.
Power for several hundred LEDs
According to the researchers, the nanogenerator should enable the operation of 476 LEDs on an area of around 38 × 25 millimeters. This would make the device ideal for small devices or sensors. A long shelf life is also guaranteed.
Because, as the researchers reported, their nanogenerator achieves the same performance over around 40,000 cycles. However, it remains to be seen whether and when the generator will be ready for the market. Should it come to that, small electronic devices could be operated with aluminum foil and adhesive tape in the future.
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