Experts from Germany and elsewhere are leveraging water flow friction on the nanoscale level with electrifying results that could power sensors and other tech without a battery.
The innovation from the Hamburg University of Technology and other institutions from around Europe relies on pressure and friction, according to a news release.
"The technology paves the way for autonomous, maintenance-free sensor systems — for example in water detection, sports, and health monitoring in smart garments, or haptic robotics, where touch or motion directly generates an electrical signal," Hamburg researcher Manuel Brinker said.
The innovation generates energy by forcing water into tiny silicon pores, causing friction as it enters and exits, called triboelectrification. The experts cited vehicle shocks as an example of a setting where the invention could be incorporated, taking advantage of the mechanical pressure in the wheel well, according to the release.
"A crucial step was the development of precisely engineered silicon structures that are simultaneously conductive, nanoporous, and hydrophobic," Brinker said in the statement. "This architecture allows us to control the motion of water inside the pores — making the energy conversion process both stable and scalable."
The friction-derived power is similar to how electricity is made when walking across certain carpets while wearing shoes. The person carries the charge until touching someone else or other objects.
Hamburg's device captures the friction energy created when liquid rubs against a solid, achieving a 9% conversion rate, which is the highest recorded for these types of generators, all according to the release.
"Combining nanoporous silicon with water enables an efficient, reproducible power source — without exotic materials, but just by using the most abundant semiconductor on Earth, silicon, and the most abundant liquid, water," Luis Bartolomé, from CIC energiGUNE in Spain, said.
Other experts are taking advantage of routine motion and small movements, too. Students in France created turnstiles that generated enough electricity to power screens at a subway station. An international group of experts developed a way to harness energy made when slow wind moves over water droplets.
It's all part of the shift to cleaner energy, starting at the nanoscale level, to transform how we power lights, sensors, screens, and gadgets. In everyday life, upgrades like rooftop solar let you bring the revolution to your own home and reap the benefits of lower bills and more reliable power.
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All the renewable energy, even when made in silicon pores, is generated without heat-trapping air pollution. NASA has linked the planet-warming fumes to increased risks for severe heat waves that could make some places uninhabitable. The extreme weather is contributing to the spread of diseases, according to Trinity College Dublin.
The water-friction innovators see their effort as being the vanguard for a new type of energy-making tech.
"Water-driven materials mark the beginning of a new generation of self-sustaining technologies," experts said in the release.
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