Experts from India are nearly making electricity from thin air.
The result could be a sustainable clean energy source for small electronic devices, according to The Times of India.
The scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore are using a special membrane made of graphene oxide and zinc-imidazole.
The materials were pulled from the lab shelf because they combine to form a thin and stable layer with microscopic channels. When it's partially submersed in water, water travels up the pathways, driven by evaporation. Positive and negative ions are separated at opposite ends, creating a steady voltage.
"Think of it as a self-charging power source, fueled by nothing more than air and water. As long as evaporation continues, the device generates electricity — quietly, cleanly, and sustainably," study lead Professor Dhirendra K Rai told the Times. He added that affordability for rural and off-grid use was a focal point for the researchers.
Innovators elsewhere are harnessing energy from water in odd ways. An international team of researchers has captured electricity made when low-speed wind passes over water droplets. Other experts are generating a charge from water droplets falling through specially designed tubes.
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In India, a small piece of the institute's membrane can generate three-quarters of a volt.
The team envisions the tech powering sensors in forests and on farms, according to the Times. The membranes could energize lights during blackouts or keep low-power wearable medical equipment running. It's portable and lightweight, and works day or night. It even functions with dirty water, the report continued.
"This innovation is a testament to IIT Indore's vision of creating knowledge that matters to society," Rai said.
While not a grid-supporting breakthrough, the tech is part of innovations in cleaner energy creation and storage that limit production of heat-trapping air pollution.
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In India, the team sees evaporation as a tool that can be harnessed as we shift to a cleaner energy future.
"The reliance on fossil fuels has destabilized ecosystems and intensified environmental pollution, driving the urgent need for sustainable and clean energy alternatives," they wrote in the introduction to their findings, which were published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
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