Protein Nanowires Make Electricity From Air
heNew interesting device called Air-gen can make electricity literally from the air. You just need a Geobacter bacteria that will make the necessary protein nanowires.
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
- Be also sure to check out my other posts and follow me @kralizec and subscribe to my Youtube channel at Kralizec Gaming Youtube Channel
Biology & Technology Make Electricity
This is a technology that could truly be revolutionary. It could help us solve renewable energy, climate problems and even help with the future of medicine. The team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst built a device that – quite frankly – makes electricity from t air.
Jun Yao – an electrical device expert and Derek Lovely – a microbiologist combined their minds to make the research. Together they made an incredible device that they call Air-gen. The key role in their device is played by protein nanowires that are made by a favorite of bio and nano-engineers. The Deltaproteobacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens. In the Air-gen device electrodes are connected to the protein nanowires in such a way that the device generates electricity thanks to water vapor that can be found in the surrounding air.
Add A Pinch Of Nanowires & Water Vapor
Air-gen can make electric energy practically all the time. This is probably the sexiest application of protein nanowires the world has ever seen. The technology is environmentally friendly as it doesn't pollute, is renewable and most importantly – it is cheap. And at the same time, it is quite universal and works even in places with extremely low air humidity. Like in the Sahara desert. And compared to currently dominating renewable energy sources it doesn't need the elements to be powerful like the wind or water currents nor does it need the energy of the Sun. It can work – for example – even inside a building.
Air-gen requires a thin film of the already mentioned protein nanowires. The film is less than ten microns thick. The bottom layer is on one of the electrodes while the second electrode covers the upper side of the film. The nanowire film absorbs water vapor from the air and thanks to the interplay among the conductivity of the nanowires, their chemical nature, and the structure of the pores among the nanowires inside of the film electricity is being generated between the electrodes.
In its current form, Air-gen is capable of generating enough electricity to run small electronic devices. Soon the commercial applications should come to be. The next step after that would be the development of small Air-gen cells that will provide energy for wearables making them not need batteries. And after that, the creators would like to make energy sources for smartphones and similar devices.
The scientists are enhancing bacteria that are responsible for the creation of nanowires. Recently they made a new strain of E. coli that can make the nanowires faster and cheaper than the original Geobacter making it into a nice little protein nanowire factory. The final goal of the technology is to create large-scale energy-producing systems. Hopefully one day we will be able to build Air-gen systems into walls having them power whole households.
Sources:
- If you like the content I’m producing about science maybe you will like the content I produce about gaming as well! Be sure to check out my other posts!