IIT Delhi researchers design device to generate electricity from ocean waves

The device is called a “liquid-solid interface triboelectric nanogenerator”. The institute claimed that the generated electricity can be stored in the battery for further use.

“The device has a very simple structure consisting of specially designed nanocomposite polymers and contact electrodes and can generate a few milliwatts (mW) of power, which can be used for small electronic devices such as watches, digital thermometers, radio frequency transmitters, healthcare sensors, etc. This is enough to power the instruments. Compared to traditional methods of pedometers, such as the use of the piezoelectric effect, the current instrument can generate significantly more electricity,” IIT-Delhi said in a statement.

Neeraj Khare, professor of physics, and his group at the Nanoscale Research Facility (NRF) at IIT-Delhi are working on harvesting electrical energy from mechanical vibrations using the triboelectric effect. The group has filed an Indian patent on various aspects of the use of ferroelectric polymers for the harvesting of mechanical energy, including the current device.

“The triboelectric effect has been a known phenomenon for a long time, and in this effect, charges are generated when two surfaces are in friction. The best example we see is sparkling lights when we swirl a blanket/jacket. More recently energy harvesting It has been extensively investigated as a viable alternative to

In a recently published work, Khare and Huidrom Hemojit Singh noted: “(i)t is demonstrated that rolling a drop of water on the surface of the device generates electricity.”