New technology turns AIR into ELECTRICITY

Scientists University of MassachusettsOn amhrest, in the USA, created a method that manages to harness electrical energy in clouds. The premise of the research that allowed this type of extraction is based on the humidity of the air, since there is a reservoir of water in it, in the form of steam, which can be used to transform the air into electricity.

This use was published in the specialized magazine Advanced materials, under the name of Generic Air-Gen Effect in Nanoporous Materials for Sustainable Energy Harvesting from Air Humidity (Generic Effect of Air Generation in Nanoporous Materials for Sustainable Energy Harvesting from Air Humidity, in free translation). Still, the results of the survey, published this month, show several advantages — such as interruption-free electricity.

No showmetech, you will understand how the researchers carried out the studies behind this type of energy generation, and learn about other benefits of using air to provide electricity.

How did US researchers manage to convert air into electricity?

The humidity of the air was fundamental for the authors of the research — Xiaomeng Liu, Hongyan Gao, lu sun, Jun Yao — arrive at the important result for the generation of clean energy. But the method they used has a differential: the researchers created tiny pores in different types of materials, with a diameter of 100 nanometers (1 cm divided into 10 equal parts).

The size of these mini-holes allowed clouds to be created, which produce energy. Thus, the process was discovered, named Generic Air Generation Effect, that Jun Yao believes it to be fundamental for the rays we see from the sky to be more than just a phenomenon of nature. In addition to being one of those responsible for scientific work, Yao is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts.

“Think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water in droplets. Each contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce lightning […]. What we've created is an artificial, smaller-scale cloud that produces electricity for us in a predictable and continuous manner."

Jun Yao

The effect is part of what the researchers investigated in the studies, and causes an energy exchange in the humidity itself. That is, when passing through the nanometric holes, the water creates an energy charge on the surface of the materials. Also very useful for making use of it possible, the mean free path of water molecules (whose size is even 100 nanometers) causes shocks that unbalance the charges present in the air. Therefore, as the clouds have lasting moisture, energy production becomes continuous.

What are the possible benefits of relying on clean energy from the clouds?

The effect achieved in the University of Massachusetts can be applied to different objects. This range of use, added to more moderate costs and the characteristic of uninterrupted electricity generation, makes the result of the study promising to be able to generate energy that is more “friendly” with our environment. Yao states that research can lead to broader choices, with the manufacture of other more daring materials, with adaptations to the environment.

“You can imagine ways of making use of a type of material found in tropical forest environments, and other means for more arid regions.”

Jun Yao

In addition, the use of energy from the clouds occurs at any time, a barrier that significantly affects solar energy, for example. Even if there is no wind, little light, or the weather becomes unstable, the production of electricity from air can continue to operate. The size of the plates, in turn, offers the possibility of having several plates stacked, providing virtually non-stop power.

Further research into creating clean energy using air

A strong trend in the generation of clean energy is green hydrogen, increasingly used in the refrigeration industry, cement production, heavier transport and in various other applications. The downside of using gas is that almost all of its production is made from oil, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA; International Renewable Energy Agency, in free translation). But, as early as 2020, another researcher in Massachusetts discovered that the use of microscopic electrical wires can be useful in generating energy.

derek lovley, professor of microbiology at the University of the United States region, showed that threads made of protein can be grown inside the bacteria geobacter sulfurreducens to be able to take advantage of the air, and also collect energy. The method used by the researcher was developed with Yao, and requires a film with strands of protein already produced biologically, being applied with two electrodes to generate an energy current.

What do you think about generating energy with the air around us? Do you think it is feasible to use artificial clouds? Tell us in the comments of showmetech!

See also:

Source: University of Massachusetts (electric power through the air) | University of Massachusetts (protein strands) | Willey Online Library | Shipping Leader | World Bank

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 29 / 5 / 23.