A new polymer film created by MIT engineers has startled the world of science as it is capable of drawing electricity from just a water vapour. By absorbing very little amount of evaporated water, the new material changes its shape on its own and its continuous motion converts the water vapours into energy.
The material was created at MIT’s David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research by a team of engineers who are very excited on this development. One of the team members, Mingming Ma, said:
“With a sensor powered by a battery, you have to replace it periodically. If you have this device, you can harvest energy from the environment so you don’t have to replace it very often.”
Another team member, Robert Langer, believes that the applications of this new material could be much broader and the mechanical energy it creates after absorbing water vapours can be transformed into electrical energy. He said:
“We are very excited about this new material, and we expect as we achieve higher efficiency in converting mechanical energy into electricity, this material will find even broader applications.”
The film is made of two different polymers; one provides structural support, while the other has the capability to swell. The new film is not dependent on plenty of water, and a little moisture is enough to keep it functional. If used for broader applications, this new material can also be used to generate electricity on large scale. At present, the researchers are working on making its function of transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy more effective.
Source: MIT
Photo: sciencerecorder
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