Has it ever happpened to you, that you just dont have enough juice in your phone durimg a critical moment in your day? Well, a new technology will soon save us from our self inflicted misery High-tech fabrics could soon allow you to charge your devices on the go simply by standing outside on a sunny, breezy day.Researchers have developed a ‘hybrid-power textile’ that generates electricity from both sunshine and motion, using a combination of solar cells and triboelectric nanogenerators.So far, a segment roughly the size of a sheet of office paper can create ‘significant power’ just from being held out a car window – and in the future, they say this technology could be integrated into tents, curtains, and even garments.
The researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology say this method could one day allow clothing to harvest energy to power smart phones and GPS.Their current design is just 320 micrometers thick, and is woven together with strands of wool.‘This hybrid power textile presents a novel solution to charging devices in the field from something as simple as the wind blowing on a sunny day,’ said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering.To create the material, the researchers constructed solar cells from lightweight polymer fibers and wove these in with fiber-based triboelectric nanogenerators.These can generate electrical power from mechanical motion, including rotation, sliding, and vibration.
‘The backbone of the textile is made of commonly-used polymer materials that are inexpensive to make and environmentally friendly.‘The electrodes are also made through a low cost process, which makes it possible to use large-scale manufacturing. According to the team, just a 4 by 5 centimeter piece of the fabric can charge a 2mF commercial capacitor up to 2 volts in just one minute of sunlight and movement.And, on a cloudy day, the fabric was able to generate ‘significant power’ when blowing in the wind on a cloudy day.‘That indicates it has a decent capability of working even in a harsh environment,’ Wang said.So far, tests have shown the fabric will survive repeated and rigorous use, and the team is working to see just how durable it really is over longer periods of time.In the future, they plan to optimize its capabilities for industrial uses.
SOURCE…www.dailymail.co.uk