The field of nanotechnology is producing phenomenal results that respond to what Einstein is reputed to have said, ?any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a genius?and a lot of courage?to move in the opposite direction.?
Atoms and molecules are measured in nanometers.
Scientists at Texas A&M are moving in the opposite direction, making significant discoveries in the area of power harvesting?a field that aims to develop self-powered devices that do not require replaceable power supplies, such as batteries.
Imagine a self-powering cell phone that never needs to be charged because it converts sound waves produced by the user into the energy it needs to keep running.
Professor Tahir Cagin at Texas A&M and partners at the University of Houston have found that a certain type of piezoelectric material can convert energy at a 100% increase when manufactured at a very small size, around 21 nanometers in thickness.
A nanometer is a microscopic unit of measurement representing one-billionth of a meter. Atoms and molecules are measured in nanometers. A human hair is about 100,000 nanometers wide.
Nanotechnology has grown increasingly popular due to consumer demand for compact portable and wireless devices in which battery life is a key issue.