South Korean scientists may have figured out a way to meet our ever growing energy needs with an abundant resource, as detailed by Interesting Engineering and EurekAlert.
The experts from the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials are tapping seawater, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports covers 70% of Earth, to produce electricity through the movement of sodium ions, per the summaries.
"The newly developed technology is an eco-friendly energy harvesting technology that allows continuous self-charging and can be used without external energy," lead researcher Seungmin Hyun said.
The innovation was developed with help from KIMM nanotechnology and chemical engineering experts. It can power small devices such as watches, calculators, and sensors, per the reports.
It works by using microscopic carbon atom nanotubes and graphene oxide films "with different content of oxygen functional groups as the cathode and anode, respectively, and is constructed using seawater as the electrolyte," as described by EurekAlert. The carbon atom tubes are highly conductive, IE adds in its report.
The inner workings sound like common battery chemistry, with two electrodes and an electrolyte wherein ions travel back and forth during operation. Sodium ions travel between the nanotubes and film — through the seawater electrolyte — during cycles, as noted in the reports.
KIMM's tech is touted as being better than other water-based batteries. That's partly because it doesn't require an outside energy source to create water movement for reuse. It's also more efficient than similar innovations, providing 4.2 times the power output of other "water-based energy generators," all per EurekAlert.
"Even more electrical energy can be produced using the newly developed energy harvester by expanding the area or connecting multiple harvesters," the summary continues.
Energy storage tech is advancing in seemingly all shapes and sizes. Sodium-ion batteries are being developed for larger functions, including powering electric vehicles. Supercapacitors that are woven into clothing can juice wearable devices. The innovations leverage bodily movement, nanotubes, and even solar rays to generate enough energy for tiny sensors and on-body medical units.
An international team of scientists has also fascinatingly developed a way to harvest electricity created when wind passes over water droplets.
The inventions, if widely used, can help to reduce production of harmful, planet-warming fumes. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 99% of the global population breathes polluted air. The agency lists heart, lung, and a host of other medical maladies as potential problems associated with inhaling dirty air.
The good news is that the tech has already made it through the lab and is readily available to help you save cash while reducing air pollution. By upgrading your home with smart technology, you can save hundreds of dollars a year simply by using an app on your phone. The savings are realized by better management of household lighting and thermostat use.
At KIMM, the experts may soon have a new battery for some of the smaller tasks in our world.
"It is expected to be used as an energy source to operate sensors and devices in environments where monitoring environmental factors (such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, inorganic nitrogen in the ocean) is required," Hyun said.
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