Eco Factor: Nanowire-based fuel cell can generate 5-3 microwatts power using biological fluids.
Blood could produce electricity soon. Researchers in China and the US have developed a miniature fuel cell that can produce electricity from biological fluids. The team at Tsinghua University in Beijing has successfully constructed a fuel cell by coupling two redox enzymes via a nanowire of a polymer composite capable of conducting single protons. This fuel cell was able to generate electricity in human blood and the juice of a watermelon.
The researches claim that the nanowire-based fuel cell is capable of generating an output power as high as 0.5-3microwatts. Integrated with a set of nanowire based sensors for performing self-powered sensing, the cell could lead to developing self-powered nanodevices for environmental monitoring, biological sciences, personal electronics and defense technology too. IDTechEx, a company that carries out research and analysis on energy harvesting technologies, also seconds this belief.
Via: RCS
