Everyday movements could soon power your wearables

The team at ATI believes this innovation has the potential to revolutionise the field of nano-devices, enabling them to achieve efficiency levels comparable to modern solar cells.

The new nanogenerators are capable of converting small amounts of everyday mechanical energy, such as movement, into a substantially higher electrical output. This process is similar to how an amplifier enhances sound in an audio system. For example, while a conventional nanogenerator might produce 10 milliwatts of power, the new technology can boost that output to over 1,000 milliwatts. This makes it a promising solution for energy harvesting in a wide range of practical applications.

At the core of ATI’s innovation is a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), a device that generates electricity from everyday movements by exploiting the triboelectric effect. This phenomenon occurs when two materials become electrically charged through contact and separation, much like how a balloon sticks to hair after being rubbed. The key advancement lies in a process known as the charge regeneration effect.

“The dream of nanogenerators is to capture and use energy from everyday movements, like your morning run, mechanical vibrations, ocean waves or opening a door. The key innovation with our nanogenerator is that we've fine-tuned the technology with 34 tiny energy collectors using a laser technique that can be scaled up for manufacture to increase energy efficiency further.

“What's really exciting is that our little device with high energy harvesting density could one day rival the power of solar panels and could be used to run anything from self-powered sensors to smart home systems that run without ever needing a battery change,” said Md Delowar Hussain, Postgraduate Research Student.

The TENG developed by ATI functions much like a relay race, where each ‘runner’ (or electrode) passes energy (or charge) to the next, while also adding more charge along the way. This collective effort enhances the overall amount of energy harvested, resulting in a significant boost in power output.

“We are soon going to launch a company focused on self-powered, non-invasive healthcare sensors using triboelectric technology. Innovations like these will enable us to drive new spin-out activities in sustainable health tech, improve sensitivity, and emphasise industrial scalability,” said Dr Bhaskar Dudem, Research Fellow.

With this development, Surrey's ATI team has created a pathway for more efficient, everyday energy harvesting, opening new possibilities for self-powered devices that could be as effective as solar technology.

“With the ever-increasing technology around us, it is predicted that we will have over 50 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the next few years that will need energy to be powered. Local green energy solutions are needed, and this could be a convenient wireless technology that harnesses energy from any mechanical movements to power small devices. It offers an opportunity for the scientific and engineering community to find innovative and sustainable solutions to global challenges.

“We are incredibly excited about the potential of these nanogenerators to transform how we think about energy. You could also imagine these devices being used in IoT-based self-powered smart systems like autonomous wireless operations, security monitoring, and smart home systems, or even for supporting dementia patients, an area in which the University of Surrey has great expertise,” said Professor Ravi Silva, Director, Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) and Head of NanoElectronics Centre.