New Class of Smart "Piezotronic" Materials Could Create Self-Powering Micro-Bots
Piezoelectric materials have long been used to turn kinetic energy into electrical energy, but a clever application by Georgia Tech researchers is making those materials much smarter. By adding a gate to piezoelectric circuits, researchers have turned a mechanical action directly into a logic operation for the first time. This approach could turn conventional "dumb" circuits into computational circuitry that might run smaller micro-robots to harvest power as they perform their functions. Piezoelectric materials generate a very tiny charge when placed under stresses like twisting or bending. That charge is too small to power most portable devices, although better and better materials have led to greater electricity yields from piezoelectric materials. One of these materials is zinc oxide, which isn't one of the highest yielding piezoelectric materials available, but it is a good semiconductor. Related Articles Lab Work: Piezoelectric PowerMIT's New Multifunctional Fibers Combine Piezoelectric Sensitivity with Heat and Light Sensing MIT's...