It becomes easier and cheaper to store electricity directly from the humidity in the air, thanks to a technique that allows you to use many types of materials, as long as they are studded with nanopores, ie tiny holes with a diameter of less than 100 nanometers, less than a thousandth of the thickness of a human hair. It is the indicated way to obtain clean energy, at low cost and available anywhere 24 hours a day and in all weather conditions obtained from the American University of Massachusetts in Amherst and published in the journal Advanced Materials.
"The air contains a huge amount of electricity: just think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water droplets," notes Jun Yao, one of the researchers led by Xiaomeng Liu. "Each droplet contains a charge and, under the right conditions, the cloud can generate lightning. We don't know how to reliably capture electricity from lightning, and what we've done is replicate a small-scale cloud, which produces electricity for us predictably and continuously."
The researchers verified that the nanopore-based structure works effectively because, passing through the small holes, the water molecules easily bump against their upper edge relative to the lower edge. This creates an imbalance of electrical charges between the two sides, similar to what happens in a cloud, and constitutes a sort of battery that continues to operate as long as there is moisture in the air.
Easier to store electricity from air humidity
2023-05-25T08:00:11.074Z
Highlights: It is the indicated way to obtain clean energy, at low cost and available anywhere 24 hours a day and in all weather conditions. The nanopore-based structure works effectively because, passing through the small holes, the water molecules easily bump against their upper edge relative to the lower edge. This creates an imbalance of electrical charges between the two sides, similar to what happens in a cloud, and constitutes a sort of battery that continues to operate as long as there is moisture in the air. The research was carried out at the American University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
It becomes easier and cheaper to store electricity directly from the humidity in the air, thanks to a technique that allows you to use many types of materials, as long as they are studded with nanopores, ie tiny holes with a diameter of less than 100 nanometers, less than one thousandth of the thickness of a human hair (ANSA)