Are electric cars going to take off? A new battery technology is born: it can absorb moisture from the air to generate electricity

On May 12, Australian venture capital firm Strategic Elements announced that they and their partners have developed a new battery technology that can generate electricity from moisture in the air. Currently, this technology can only generate small amounts of electricity, but it is enough to be used in some skin patch devices, and there may be larger application scenarios in the future.

It is reported that more than 50% of the solar energy absorbed by the earth every day is used to evaporate water such as seawater into water vapor to maintain the humidity of the air. The moist gas generator (MEG) developed by the company can absorb this water vapor in the air and convert it into electrical energy through simple equipment and green chemical reactions.

MEG is mainly made of carbon-based materials , such as carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide. After the chemical bonds of oxygen in the internal materials absorb water molecules, they will release movable ions, thereby generating a certain amount of electrical energy. MEG made of graphene oxide materials can generate a voltage of 0.6V under an environment of 80% relative humidity. The company has designed another MEG that can generate a voltage of 0.85V and a current of 9.28μA under a relative humidity of 75%. By connecting several MEGs in series or in parallel, higher voltages or currents can be obtained to meet the needs of electronic devices.

In addition to being green and environmentally friendly, this power generation technology also has great advantages in terms of volume. It uses green and safe non-flammable materials and can be printed on flexible plastics, and it can still maintain 91% of the initial voltage output after being bent 2,000 times.

At present, many fitness electronic skin patches and smart patches do not require too high a voltage, and this MEG can just power such devices. It can generate electricity directly through moisture in the air or sweat generated during exercise, without worrying about charging the device . With the further development and upgrading of this technology, it may be applied to larger electronic devices in the future, such as smart watches.

In recent years, countries around the world have been promoting the development of the new energy industry, and more and more environmentally friendly and energy-saving battery technologies have emerged. Although these technologies are not useful at this stage, they are likely to play a significant role in the future. Nowadays, electronic devices, cars, and power stations are all using lithium-ion batteries , which has increased the global demand for lithium mines and caused certain environmental damage. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new batteries to break the deadlock and promote the development of green environmental protection.