Harnessing molecular power: Electricity generation on the nanoscale

To create the device, they submerged nanoarrays of piezoelectric material in liquid, allowing the movement of the liquid to move the strands like seaweed waving in the ocean, except in this case the movement is on the molecular scale, and the strands are made of zinc oxide. When the zinc oxide material waves, bends, or deforms under motion, it generates electric potential.

"As a well-studied piezoelectric material, zinc oxide can be easily synthesized into various nanostructures, including nanowhiskers," Luan said."A nanowhisker is a neat and orderly structure of many nanowires, similar to the bristles on a toothbrush." The authors are already working on the next phase of their design to improve the energy density of the device by testing different liquids, high-performing piezoelectric materials, and new device architectures and by enlarging the device.

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Harnessing molecular power: Electricity generation on the nanoscaleWave energy technology is a proven source of power generation, but there is power inherent in every molecule of liquid on Earth, even when the liquid is at rest. At the molecular scale, atoms and ions are always moving. If this nanoscale movement can be harvested, it could be a big source of energy.
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