Nanogenerator Could Draw Energy from Human Blood

Scientists are working on a new type of nanogenerator that could draw the necessary energy from flowing blood in the human body, by using the beating heart and pulsating blood vessels. Once completed, this new cellular engine could find various applications, even beyond medicine.

Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology hope to be able to incorporate the new
nanogenerator into biosensors, environmental monitoring devices and even personal electronics that will
require no fuel source, internal or external.
It will produce its own electricity while immersed in biological fluids or other liquids, using ultrasonic waves as the energy source. So far, they achieved the nanogenerator effect in an array of nanowires that could produce as much as 4 watts/cubic centimeter.

“We are creating a portable, adaptable and cost-effective technology for powering small electronic devices,” said Wang. “Our nanogenerator allows us to harvest or recycle energy from many sources.”

“Our bodies are good at converting chemical energy from glucose into the mechanical energy of our muscles,” added Wang. “These nanogenerators can take that mechanical energy and convert it to electrical energy for powering devices inside the body.”

Thus far, the nanogenerator has only produced nanoamperes of power—too little for powering macroscopic devices. But Wang is confident his next prototype will produce microamperes, capable of powering wireless sensor network nodes.

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