We've already seen the idea of harnessing the power of human motion to generate electricity used in many fields, including footwear, roads, and, just this week, an implantable stimulator device for treating injured tendons,media reported. One of these possibilities is a floor that can power electronic devices, and scientists at ETH Zurich have now developed an efficient form of this technology that is powerful enough to power LED light bulbs and small electronic devices.
برسوں کے دوران، سائنسدانوں نے فرش بنانے کے متعدد جدید حلوں کی تحقیقات کی ہیں جو انسانی نقل و حرکت سے بجلی پیدا کرنے کے قابل ہیں، بشمول اندرونی اور بیرونی استعمال کے لیے سیرامک ٹائلیں، اور اسپنج والی لکڑی جو مکینیکل دباؤ میں وولٹیج پیدا کرنے کے لیے پیزو الیکٹرک اثر پر انحصار کرتی ہے۔ یہ نئی مثال ہم نے 2016 میں دیکھی گئی دوسری مثال کے ساتھ کچھ مماثلتیں شیئر کیں، جس میں سائنسدانوں نے سیلولوز نانوفائبرز کو لکڑی کے فرش میں سرایت کر دیا، جس سے ایک الیکٹریکل چارج بنتا ہے جب کہ ٹرائیبو الیکٹرک ایفیکٹ کہلانے والے-کے ذریعے وائبریٹ ہوتے ہیں۔
The triboelectric effect also forms the basis for the new smart wood floor, which consists of two treated wood veneers with electrodes layered underneath. But to get the performance to the desired level, some tinkering is required to address the limited power generation capacity of wood. "Wood is basically neutral," said Guido Panzarasa, senior author of the study. "This means that wood has no real tendency to gain or lose electrons. So the challenge is to make wood able to attract and lose electrons."
The team's solution involved coating one piece of wood with a silicone that readily gains electrons on contact, and embedding metal ions and organic molecules on another piece of wood, giving it a higher propensity to lose electrons. This treatment was tested on different species of wood cut in different directions, and the team then found the most efficient option, radially cut spruce.
سائنسدانوں کے مطابق، یہ طریقہ کار ان کی لکڑی کو قدرتی لکڑی کے مقابلے میں 80 گنا زیادہ بجلی پیدا کرنے میں موثر بناتا ہے، اور 1500 سائیکلوں تک مسلسل دباؤ میں ایک مستحکم پیداوار فراہم کرتا ہے۔ A4 کاغذ کے سائز کے فرش کی شکل میں، یہ مواد گھریلو LED لائٹس، کیلکولیٹر اور دیگر چھوٹے الیکٹرانکس کو پاور کرنے کے لیے کافی بجلی پیدا کر سکتا ہے۔
Panzarasa said: "Our focus was to demonstrate the possibility of modifying wood with a relatively environmentally friendly procedure to have a triboelectric effect. Spruce is cheap, available, and has good mechanical properties. This method of functionalization is quite Simple and scalable on an industrial level. It's just an engineering problem."
Scientists are now working to improve their handling of wood to make it more eco-friendly and easier to apply as they work towards commercial application. To their advantage, the "dynamo" maintains the natural look and durability of wood floors, which could make it an attractive option for style-conscious designers in future smart buildings.
"The ultimate goal is to understand the potential of wood, beyond those already known, and to give wood new properties for future sustainable smart buildings," said Panzarasa. The research was published in the journal Matter.
