Researchers in Germany have developed a novel way to generate electricity using nothing more than water and pressure by harnessing the power of friction within the tiniest pores of silicon, the Earth’s second most abundant element.

The Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) scientists and colleagues from the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), one of the world’s leading particle accelerator centers, discovered that mechanical energy can be converted into electrical power through triboelectric generation.

 The new process relies on water confined in nanometer-sized silicon pores, which act as the active medium for energy production. According to the researchers, it could be applied in environments with high mechanical pressure, such as vehicle shock absorbers.

“Even pure water when confined at the nanoscale can enable energy conversion,” Patrick Huber, PhD, a professor at the university’s Institute for Materials and X-ray Physics, and spokesperson of the BlueMat: Water-Driven Materials excellence cluster, stated.

To read more, click here.