Alumni Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 15) ‘Power Shirt’ Could Generate Electricity Nanotechnology researchers are developing the perfect complement to the power tie — a “power shirt” able to generate electricity for small electronic devices for soldiers in the field, hikers and others whose physical motion could be harnessed and converted into energy. Pairs of textile fibers covered with zinc oxide nanowires can generate electrical current using the piezoelectric effect. Combining current flow from many fiber pairs woven into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer’s body movement to power a range of portable electronic devices. The fibers also could be woven into curtains, tents or other structures to capture energy from wind motion, sound vibration or other mechanical energy. “The fiberbased nanogenerator would be a simple and economical way to harvest energy from physical movement,” says Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. “If we can combine many of these fibers in double or triple layers in clothing, we could provide a flexible, foldable and wearable power source that, for example, would allow people to generate their own electrical current while walking.” With improved design, Wang estimates that a square meter of fabric made from the special fibers could theoretically generate as much as 80 milliwatts of power. However, one significant challenge lies ahead for the power shirt — washing it. Zinc oxide is sensitive to moisture, so in real shirts or jackets, the nanowires would have to be protected from the effects of the washing machine. — By John Toon Photo: Gary Meek Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine • Spring 2008 15
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