Flexible Charge Pump Offers Another Means Of Producing Electricity

摘要

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new type of small-scale electric-power generator that produces ac current through the cyclical stretching and releasing of zinc-oxide wires encapsulated in a flexible plastic substrate with two bonded ends.rnThe generator produces an oscillating output voltage as high as 45 mV, converting nearly 7% of the mechanical energy applied directly to the zinc-oxide wires into electricity. Potential applications include medical sensing, environmental monitoring, defense technol-rnogy, and personal electronics.rnThe team previously developed nanowire nanogenera-tors and microfiber nanogene-rators that depended on either intermittent contact between vertically grown zinc-oxide nanowires and an electrode or the mechanical scrubbing of nanowire-covered fibers. These devices were difficult to construct, and the mechanical contact required caused wear that limited how long they could operate. And, because zinc oxide is soluble in water, they required protection from moisture. The new charge pump resolves these issues.