A triboelectric nanogenerator in the seaweed structure generates electricity even with little water movement. Such wave generators will be able to power subsea sensors and light buoys in the future.
Ocean power has enormous potential to generate electricity, which until now has been used almost exclusively in stationary tidal power plants. They generate energy from the currents during ebb and flow.
There are also so-called wave generators in the form of floating power plants that use the energy of sea waves to generate electricity. Since the cost of such installations is still very high and they only generate electricity when high waves, wave generators are still only a concept and are not yet used in industrial scales.
Now researchers from Dalian Maritime University (China) have presented in a specialized ACS Nano magazine a new concept of a wave generator based on the principle of three-electrode generation energy.
A small power plant that generates energy using static electricity is based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENG). They consist of several layers of conductive materials, which, upon contact, exchange charges with each other.
Mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy
Thus, the compact wave generator generates electrical energy from mechanical energy. At rest, there is a gap between the layers of the generator for this purpose. When the flexible layers are compressed by waves, an electric current is passed through them. Such nanogenerators are already being used in pacemakers or as biomechanical combines to generate electricity during sports.
Seaweed as a model
When developing the new wave generator, Jan Wang's team took seaweed as a sample. Thus, the wave generator consists of long strips of triboelectric material that are fixed at only one end and therefore can move freely in the water. Thus, even small waves are sufficient to generate electricity.
In the course of experiments, the generator was able to generate electricity for 30 LEDs even with a slight movement of water. Even at a depth of ten meters, the wave generator, despite its thin fins, still generated electricity.
"Demonstration experiments show that such flexible and inexpensive TENGs from seaweed could be a good alternative to batteries for marine instruments and devices in the future, "explains Wang. In the future, the mini-power plant can power, in particular, buoys or underwater measuring networks.
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