*Nano Free Electricity Generators, and Your Brain
By IgnoranceIsntBliss
By developing nano-piezo-technology, they're nearly capable of utilizing miniature power plants for powering nano-devices, and the stated goal is even for bio-implantable devices.
Piezoelectricity is electricity produced by mechanical pressure on certain crystals (notably quartz or Rochelle salt). This effect is known as transduction, which is the converting from one form of energy to another. Piezo has many traditional uses (powering watches for example), and provides free power in small devices. This new technology may harness those
Described in the April 14th issue of the journal Science, the nanogenerators produce current by bending and then releasing zinc oxide nanowires which are both piezoelectric and semiconducting. The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the NASA Vehicle Systems Program and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and in participation with the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The invention was developed by Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Reading this new finding reminds me of when I was in electronics engineering school. When we were learning about piezo, my idea was to use piezo-technology on massive scales to produce free power plants. Dr. Met and my other classmates found the idea kind of funny because of the small current produced by a typical (tiny) piezo crystal, but my rationale was to build massive-area thin partitioned layers, on a area scale such as a football field, and have numerous stacked layers, with the entire stack on a pivoting platform base with massive actuators to keep the field moving and producing non-stop electricity.
A scanning electron microscope image (top) shows an array of zinc oxide nanowires. Middle image shows a schematic of how an AFM tip was used to bend nanowires to produce current. Bottom image depicts output voltages produce by the array as it is scanned b 300 dpi JPG = 473.64 KB
Other ways of moving or bending the piezo could work too, or even a massive compression plate. Eventually I figured, that if its possible, I dont see why they wouldnt have thought of that when they first started realizing the potential of PZT, therefore, since it isnt yet being done, its not possible, if you know what I mean. The same would apply to electric cars, having a massive piezo block under the hood. If the System isnt all that corrupt, maybe it really wasnt possible utilizing the old fabrication methods. If thats the case, then utilizing nano zinc oxide fabrication, like Zhong Lin Wang did here, it may be the key to my idea, because the key to his discovery is the sensitivity of his piezo technology. It apparently can generate more effective power from simple shaking, whereas old PZT materials would need more complex bending or compression methods, and probably generate less power per volume.
Back on point, this new invention will rapidly accelerate injectable nanotechnology neural implants, and also the related NBIC cells, which are key pieces to what "trans-humanists" call the biorevolution. The biorevolution is the rapid transformation, or evolution, into post-humanism. The 2 critical pieces to this revolution (or re-evolution) are super artificial intelligence computing, and nanotechnology or more specifically NBIC technology.
DARPA and NASA say they will have their super-AI systems online between 2010-2012, if they dont already, and those systems should have the power to drastically intensify the United States governments stated biorevolution and collective society goals. That turning point is the NBIC technology, which is the convergence of nano/biological/information/cognitive sciences all into one new form of synthetic living cells, to transform us from the inside out. Before they can fully harness their biorevolution, they must perfect standard intravenously injectable nanotechnology neural implants, and with this new piezo-nano science its all right around the corner.
Though attractive for use inside the body because zinc oxide is non-toxic, the nanogenerators could also be used wherever mechanical energy hydraulic motion of seawater, wind or the motion of a foot inside a shoe is available. The nanowires can be grown not only on crystal substrates, but also on polymer-based films. Use of flexible polymer substrates could one day allow portable devices to be powered by the movement of their users.
Georgia Tech Professor Zhong Lin Wang holds a sample nanowire array that can be used to power nanometer scale devices. (Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek) 300 dpi JPG = 1.57 MB
The next step in the research will be to maximize the power produced by an array of the new nanogenerators. Wang estimates that they can convert as much as 30 percent of the input mechanical energy into electrical energy for a single cycle of vibration. That could allow a nanowire array just 10 microns square to power a single nanoscale device if all the power generated by the nanowire array can be successfully collected.
Our bodies are good at converting chemical energy from glucose into the mechanical energy of our muscles, Wang noted. These nanogenerators can take that mechanical energy and convert it to electrical energy for powering devices inside the body. This could open up tremendous possibilities for self-powered implantable medical devices.
Sources:
http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=932
http://www.nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=3186&ntid=&pg=5
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=106876&org=NSF
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=104288
See also:
Video Journey Into Nanotechnology
School of Materials Science and Engineering
