
Mobile phone speakers and motion detectors in cars and video games may soon be powered by electricity generated from low cost and sustainable biomaterials, according to research carried out at University of Limerick (UL), Ireland. Scientists at UL’s Bernal Institute have discovered that the biomolecule glycine, when tapped or squeezed, can generate enough electricity to power electrical devices in an economically viable and environmentally sustainable way. The research was published on Dec. 4, 2017 in leading international journal Nature Materials. Pictured is Sarah Guerin, Science Foundation Ireland funded post-graduate researcher at the Bernal Institute, UL.
CREDIT: SEAN CURTIN TRUEMEDIA
Irish researchers squeeze low-cost electricity from sustainable biomaterial
Mobile phone speakers and motion detectors in cars and video games may soon be powered by electricity generated from low cost and sustainable biomaterials, according to research carried out at University of Limerick (UL), Ireland.
Scientists at UL’s Bernal Institute have discovered that the biomolecule glycine, when tapped or squeezed, can generate enough electricity to power electrical devices in an economically viable and environmentally sustainable way. The research was published on December 4, 2017 in leading international journal Nature Materials.
Glycine is the simplest amino acid. It occurs in practically all agro and forestry residues. It can be produced at less than one per cent of the cost of currently used piezoelectric materials.
Piezoelectric materials generate electricity in response to pressure, and vice versa. They are widely used in cars, phones, and remote controls for games consoles. Unlike glycine, these materials are normally synthetic and often contain toxic elements such as lead or lithium.
“It is really exciting that such a tiny molecule can generate so much electricity,” said lead author Sarah Guerin, a post-graduate student at the Department of Physics and the Bernal Institute, UL.
“We used computer models to predict the electrical response of a wide range of crystals and the glycine number was off the charts. We then grew long, narrow crystals of glycine in alcohol,” she added, “and we produced electricity just by tapping them.”
Sarah’s PhD supervisor Dr Damien Thompson, adds, “The predictive models we are developing can save years of trial-and-error lab work. The modelling data tells us what kinds of crystals to grow and where best to cut and press those crystals to generate electricity.”
Co-author and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Centre for Medical Devices (CURAM) investigator Professor Tofail Syed said: “We also have a pending patent that translates our findings to applications such as biodegradable power generation, devices detecting diseases inside of the body and physiologically controlled drug pumps”.
Previously, Bernal scientists discovered piezoelectricity in the globular protein lysozyme, found in tears, egg-white and saliva, and hydroxyapatite, a component of bone.
“The current finding extends the technology towards pragmatic, low-cost, renewable sources for electricity generation,” according to Professor Luuk van der Wielen, Director of the Bernal Institute and Bernal Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Design. “The finding translates the earlier Bernal scientists’ world-leading contribution in bio-piezoelectricity towards a large-scale and affordable application potential.”
Professor Edmond Magner, Dean of Science and Engineering at UL, said: “UL’s Department of Physics and Bernal Institute researchers continue to pioneer the use of biological crystals for electrical applications. This work places them at the forefront in the development of bio-piezoelectric devices”.
Learn more: Researchers generate electricity from low-cost biomaterial
The Latest on: Bio-piezoelectric devices
[google_news title=”” keyword=”bio-piezoelectric devices” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
- Researchers develop low-cost and multifunctional microprinter for ultrafast piezoelectric material printingon November 8, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Amid the ongoing surge in demand for MEMS, wearable/implantable electronics, miniaturized portable devices, and the Internet of Things, the pursuit of piezoelectric materials, thanks to their ...
- Piezoelectric Sensors' Increasing Role in Healthcare Devices Boosts Market Growth Worldwideon November 2, 2023 at 4:01 pm
The market's acceleration is primarily attributed to the growing demand for energy-efficient solutions, increased integration of piezoelectric technology in portable devices, and the rising deployment ...
- New Piezoelectric Materials and Devices: Fabrication, Structures, and Applicationson February 24, 2021 at 12:12 am
are essential components in a wide range of industrial and scientific applications, including non-destructive testing, energy harvesting, medical sensing and imaging. Typical piezoelectric materials ...
- Piezoelectric Motors Informationon February 19, 2018 at 1:15 pm
Linear piezoelectric motors typically offer one degree of freedom, such as in linear stages. However, these devices can be combined to provide more complex positioning factors. Rotating piezoelectric ...
- An Amino Acid in Plant Waste Offers Unexpected Energy Potentialon December 6, 2017 at 7:22 am
Dean of Science and Engineering at UL. "This work places them at the forefront in the development of bio-piezoelectric devices." ...
- Piezoelectric Devices Used in Medical Equipmenton August 5, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Piezoelectric actuators are beginning to be used for transdermal drug delivery, such as with a needle-free insulin injection system. Monitoring of endoscope-gastroscope devices is also beginning to be ...
via Google News and Bing News