Researchers at IIT-Kharagpur produce power from wet clothes
DownToEarth (September 17, 2019)
IIT Kharagpur researchers generated power in natural ambience using the intrinsic surface energy of the fabric
Imagine if drying clothes in natural atmosphere could help you generate electricity. It is not a work of fiction, but a new approach that researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur have developed. It can help address the essential power requirements in remote areas.
To generate electricity, the team, led by Suman Chakraborty, professor at the institute's mechanical engineering department, used nanochannels in the intrinsic surface energy of the fabric, while artificially engineered power generation devices need external pumping resources. "The regular cellulose-based wearable textile, in this case, acts as a medium for the motion of salt ions through the interlace fibrous nano-scale network by capillary action, including an electric potential in the process," explained Chakraborty. (Read More)