Nanogenerators might soon power your electronics

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology created nanogenerators that could one day produce enough power to light up your electronic gadgets.

"We are interested in very small devices that can be used in applications such as health care, environmental monitoring and personal electronics," Georgia Tech Zhong Lin Wang said in a statement. "How to power these devices is a critical issue."

Tapping mechanical energy in the environment to power electronics seems like a smart way to power devices. People have powered nightclub floors this way before, but the nanogenerators could be used more practically to monitor the environment for toxins or to power pacemakers.

In Wang's lab, the wires of this generator are made of zinc oxide. Press the material with two fingers to generate the electricity.

When the material changes shape, it can generate electricity when an electric potential is created. So far, the nanogenerators can produce three volts and 300 nanoamps. This is enough to power a calculator.

While the nanogenerator went through a few iterations, Wang thinks he's finally developed an easier way to roll them out on the industrial scale.

The nanogenerator can't produce enough power to energize your cell phone yet. However, Wang's nanogenerator is a 100 times more powerful than earlier versions of the device.

"From when we got started in 2005 until today, we have dramatically improved the output of our nanogenerators," Wang said. "We are within the range of what's needed. If we can drive these small components, I believe we will be able to power small systems in the near future."

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com