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Piezo Crystals Harness Sound To Generate Hydrogen
MikeChino writes "Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that a mix of zinc oxide crystals, water, and noise pollution can efficiently produce hydrogen without the need for a dirty catalyst like oil. To generate the clean hydrogen, researchers produced a new type of zinc oxide crystals that absorb vibrations when placed in water. The vibrations cause the crystals to develop areas with strong positive and negative charges — a reaction that rips the surrounding water molecules and releases hydrogen and oxygen. The mechanism, dubbed the piezoelectrochemical effect, converts 18% of energy from vibrations into hydrogen gas (compared to 10% from conventional piezoelectric materials), and since any vibration can produce the effect, the system could one day be used to generate power from anything that produces noise — cars whizzing by on the highway, crashing waves in the ocean, or planes landing at an airport."
But can it produce enough electricity to power a small radio that plays the music used to create the vibrations necessary to produce the electricity?
"If we dont play it at full volume we wont be able to save the enviroment!" ;-)
The next time you see someone screaming at their car on the side of the road, they might just be fueling up ;)
If it's cheap, can it be incorporated into bedsprings?
If it's cheap, can it be incorporated into bedsprings?
I get the feeling that it would be of extremely limited use to the /. community if it were
Take everything I say with a huge grain of salt. I don't know everything, and don't want to give the impression I do
Au Contraire, I'm certain the /. readers have already taken this problem into their own hands...