A new way to generate electricity with carbon particles

A team of engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered a new way to generate electricity using carbon particles that can create an electric current simply by interacting with a liquid.

This liquid is an organic solvent known as acetonitrile that extracts electrons from the particles, generating a current that, according to the researchers, would have applications such as powering micro- or nanoscale robots, even without the need to install energy stores.

How does it work?

The new discovery stemmed from research by Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and lead author.

The researchers created particles by crushing carbon nanotubes and transforming them into a sheet of paper-like characteristics. Each side of this sheet was covered with a Teflon-like polymer, which the group eventually cut into small particles. The team then dipped them into acetonitrile, which stuck to the surface of the particles and began to extract electrons from them.

The process generated around 0.7 volts of electricity per particle.

Ge Zhang, also the author of this research, stressed that "the particles can be made very small and do not require external cables to drive the electrochemical reaction," which makes this form of generating energy ideal for driving technology at the micro or nanoscale.

Sources:

www.unocero.com

https://energiahoy.com