Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a nano-engineered graphene coating that would introduce a new technique in drawing energy from water resources. Researchers state that the new technology does not aim at large-scale use but is meant for self-powered micro sensors worthy in exploration. Researchers also proclaim that this particular technology celebrates the renewability of the resource and is aimed at establishing wide utilities.
Researchers, with the aid of molecular dynamics simulations, discovered that when water was made to flow over graphene, which was grown by chemical vapor disposition on copper substrate and a transfer to silicon dioxide, resulted in the sticking of chlorine ions contained in water to its surface. Friction comes into play with the increasing flow of water between the layer of absorbed chlorine layer and the water in motion. It causes the ions to drift in the direction of the flow. An internal current results, owing to the motion of the ions that successfully drags the free charges present in the graphene along with them.
About 85 nanowatts of power was generated using a graphene sheet, with its dimensions being 0.03 by 0.05mm. Although small in amount, Nikhil Koratkar, a professor at the Rensselaer Institute, comments on its utility in powering small sensors used for different purposes. Advanced Energy Consortium, a group dedicated in encouraging new technologies committed to oil and gas recovery, has awarded the team with a US$1 million grant for project in March 2010. “Harvesting energy from water flow over graphene” is the team’s research paper. It is the first paper to result from the funding and appears in the journal “Nano letters.”
According to Koratkar, the technology does have other unexplored utilities, which include the emergence of self-powered microbots or microsubmarines, or boats that harvest power through a graphene coating.
Via: Gizmag
