Press Release 07-036 Minuscule Generators Convert Motion Into
Nanoscale Electricity Source Energy from tiny movements,
ultrasound waves and even bloodflow can charge the devices April
5, 2007 In a breakthrough that could free nanomachines from the
bulk of batteries, researchers have developed a novel
nanogenerator--an array of tiny filaments that converts the
smallest motions into electrical current. The nanowires are
crafted from zinc oxide, a safe material that would allow the
generator to be used in biomedical applications, and may
eventually power nanomotors, tiny sensors, and if in large
enough arrays, macroscale devices. Georgia Institute of
Technology engineer Zhong Lin Wang and his colleagues announce
the development in the Apr. 6 issue of Science. The researchers
developed the generators with the support of the National
Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency and the Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center for
Personalized and Predictive Oncology. Additional information is