InStep NanoPower, LLC, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA.
Nat Commun. 2011 Aug 23;2:448. doi: 10.1038/ncomms1454.
Over the last decade electrical batteries have emerged as a critical bottleneck for portable electronics development. High-power mechanical energy harvesting can potentially provide a valuable alternative to the use of batteries, but, until now, a suitable mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion technology did not exist. Here we describe a novel mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion method based on the reverse electrowetting phenomenon. Electrical energy generation is achieved through the interaction of arrays of moving microscopic liquid droplets with novel nanometer-thick multilayer dielectric films. Advantages of this process include the production of high power densities, up to 10(3) W m(-2); the ability to directly utilize a very broad range of mechanical forces and displacements; and the ability to directly output a broad range of currents and voltages, from several volts to tens of volts. These advantages make this method uniquely suited for high-power energy harvesting from a wide variety of environmental mechanical energy sources.
在过去的十年中，电池已成为便携式电子产品发展的关键瓶颈。高功率机械能收集可能为电池的使用提供了有价值的替代方案，但到目前为止，还没有合适的机械到电能转换技术。在这里，我们描述了一种基于逆电润湿现象的新型机械到电能转换方法。电能的产生是通过与新型纳米多层介电膜相互作用的移动微观液滴阵列来实现的。该过程的优点包括产生高功率密度，高达 10(3) W m(-2)；能够直接利用非常广泛的机械力和位移；并且能够直接输出从几伏特到几十伏特的广泛电流和电压。这些优势使得该方法非常适合从各种环境机械能源中获取高功率能量。
