not only for breathing: scientists have invented a device that generates electricity from moisture

Scientists have invented a device that can continuously generate electricity from the air, using the moisture that surrounds us all. The new “air generator” or Air-gen consists of materials with microscopic holes that allow electricity to be extracted from water droplets in the air. The researchers hope that such technology could become an alternative to fossil fuels and help fight climate change. This is reported in the article published in a magazine advanced materials.

The energy hidden in the surrounding air is due to the electrical charges of water droplets that generate lightning. Many attempts to use this energy were based on creating an imbalance of water charges with the help of special devices. However, most of these methods only worked for a short time or required expensive materials.

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed an Air-gen device that generates electricity through contact with water droplets passing through its porous material. In this way, Air-gen creates a “spontaneous and stable charging gradient for a continuous output of electricity,” which “opens up great opportunities for research into the sustainable production of electricity from ambient air,” the article says.

“One day we can get clean electricity literally anywhere and anytime with Air-gen technology (i.e. the concept of ‘ubiquitous power’), because air humidity is around the clock and everywhere,” said Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical engineering and Computer Science UMass Amherst and Senior Author.

It turned out that almost any material can become an Air-gen device if it has holes no larger than 100 nanometers. At this scale, the holes are large enough to allow water to pass from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, but small enough that the droplets make contact with the material as they move through them. As a result, a potential difference is created in the device, since the drops increase the charge of the upper layer.

The microscale device is capable of generating the equivalent of several hundred millivolts over the course of a week, much longer than other air generator concepts. Its material versatility opens up the possibility of scaling the idea for commercial or industrial needs.

“Importantly, because air humidity is ubiquitous and continuous 24/7, the Air-gen can be deployed almost anywhere to collect energy continuously, overcoming the problem of the periodicity of existing generators, limited by time or location,” the researchers note. “Sustainable Air-gen technology holds promise” and could be “a possible ‘green’ energy technology for the future,” they conclude.