FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: October 20, 2021
Plugging into ocean waves with a flexible, seaweed-like generator (video)
ACS Nano
Ocean waves can be powerful, containing enough energy to push around sand, pebbles and even boulders during storms. These waves, as well as smaller, more gentle ones, could be tapped as a source of renewable energy. Now, researchers reporting in聽ACS Nano聽have developed flexible power generators that mimic the way seaweed sways to efficiently convert surface and underwater waves into electricity to power marine-based devices. Watch a聽.
Across many coastal zones, networks of sensors collect information on the water鈥檚 currents, tides and clarity to help ships navigate and to monitor water quality. This 鈥渕arine internet of things鈥� is powered mostly by batteries that have to be replaced from time to time, which is time-consuming and expensive. Wind and solar power could be used, but they aren鈥檛 suitable for underwater applications. Looking to harness the ocean鈥檚 continuous movement as a renewable energy source, researchers initially developed floating devices that converted wave energy into electricity using rotating magnets. But these devices were inefficient with less frequent waves, such as those found underwater. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which rely on surfaces coming in contact to produce static electricity, could be a way to address this challenge because of their effectiveness for harvesting low-frequency, low-amplitude wave energy. So, Minyi Xu, Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues were inspired by plants living on the seafloor to create flexible TENGs. The researchers wanted to copy the way strands of seaweed vibrate to charge bendable triboelectric surfaces, harvesting the movement of waves into electricity to power floating and submerged marine sensors.
To make the triboelectric surfaces, the researchers coated 1.5-inch by 3-inch strips of two different polymers in a conductive ink. Then a small sponge was wedged between the strips, creating a thin air gap, and the whole unit was sealed, creating a TENG. In tests, as the TENGs were moved up and down in water, they bent back and forth, generating electricity. When the researchers put the TENGs in water pressures similar to those found underwater in coastal zones, they found that the air gap between the two conductive materials decreased. However, the devices still generated a current at 100 kPa of pressure 鈥� the same pressure that typically exists at a 30-foot water depth where there is almost no underwater wave movement. Finally, the researchers used a wave tank to demonstrate that multiple TENGs could be used as a mini underwater power station, supplying energy for either a thermometer, 30 LEDs or a blinking miniature lighthouse LED beacon. The researchers say their seaweed-like TENG could reduce the reliance on batteries in coastal zones, including for marine sensors.
The authors acknowledge funding from ; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China; and the .
###
The American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 (ACS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is committed to improving all lives through the transforming power of chemistry. Its mission is to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community and champion scientific integrity, and its vision is a world built on science. The 中国365bet中文官网 is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical聽Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world鈥檚 scientific knowledge. ACS鈥� main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Registered journalists can subscribe to the to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.
Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.
Media Contact
ACS Newsroom
newsroom@acs.org
###
La sociedad American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 (ACS) es una organizaci贸n sin fines de lucro fundada en 1876 y aprobada por el Congreso de los Estados Unidos. La ACS se ha comprometido a mejorar la vida de todas las personas mediante la transformaci贸n del poder de la qu铆mica. Su misi贸n es promover el conocimiento cient铆fico, empoderar a la comunidad global y defender la integridad cient铆fica, y su visi贸n es un mundo construido bas谩ndose en la ciencia. La Sociedad es l铆der mundial en la promoci贸n de la excelencia en la educaci贸n cient铆fica y en el acceso a informaci贸n e investigaci贸n relacionadas con la qu铆mica a trav茅s de sus m煤ltiples soluciones de investigaci贸n, publicaciones revisadas por expertos, conferencias cient铆ficas, libros electr贸nicos y noticias semanales peri贸dicas de Chemical & Engineering News. Las revistas de la ACS se encuentran entre las m谩s citadas, las m谩s fiables y las m谩s le铆das en la literatura cient铆fica; sin embargo, la propia ACS no realiza investigaci贸n qu铆mica. Como l铆der en soluciones de informaci贸n cient铆fica, su divisi贸n CAS se asocia con innovadores internacionales para acelerar los avances mediante la preservaci贸n, la conexi贸n y el an谩lisis de los conocimientos cient铆ficos del mundo. Las sedes principales de la ACS se encuentran en Washington, D.C., y Columbus, Ohio.
Los periodistas registrados pueden suscribirse al en EurekAlert! para acceder a comunicados de prensa p煤blicos y retenidos.聽 Para consultas de los medios, comun铆quese con newsroom@acs.org.
Nota: ACS no realiza investigaciones, pero publica y divulga estudios cient铆ficos revisados por expertos.鈥�
%20-%20American%20Chemical%20中国365bet中文官网', '_blank', 'width=450,height=550');void(0);){kind=link}