Lightweight Ceramic Material Harvests Electricity From Vibrations
A new ceramic material offers a lightweight, thermally stable, and fatigue-resistant option for harvesting waste energy.
There is a significant amount of potential energy in vibrations produced by various sources, such as footsteps on dance floors, exercise machines, or engines of cars and construction equipment.
Some tech companies have begun to harness this energy using piezoelectric ceramic materials, which generate electrical charges when manipulated.
A team of materials scientists at Penn State has improved the structure and chemistry of a piezoelectric material made of potassium sodium niobate (KNN), expanding early efforts in energy harvesting.
Some tech companies have already begun to harvest electricity from waste vibrations to power lights and recharge batteries.
Author's summary: New ceramic material harvests energy from vibrations.