New nano-device technology could rival the energy efficiency of solar cells

The new nanogenerators can convert small amounts of everyday mechanical energy, like motion, into a significantly higher amount of electrical power. 

For instance, the researchers said that if a traditional nanogenerator produces 10 milliwatts (mW) of power, their new technology could increase that output to over 1000 mW, making it suitable for energy harvesting in various everyday applications.

ATI's nanogenerator works like a relay team: instead of one electrode passing energy charge by itself, each electrode collects charge, adds more and then passes it all to the next, boosting the overall energy that is collected in a process called the charge regeneration effect.

"The dream of nanogenerators is to capture and use energy from everyday movements, like your morning run, mechanical vibrations, ocean waves or opening a door. The key innovation with our nanogenerator is that we've fine-tuned the technology with 34 tiny energy collectors using a laser technique that can be scaled up for manufacture to increase energy efficiency further,” Md Delowar Hussain, lead author of the study from Surrey University, said in a statement.