SBIR Phase I: High-power Mechanical Energy Harvesting Using Reverse Electrowetting on Nanostructured Surfaces

SBIR 第一阶段：在纳米结构表面上利用反向电润湿进行高功率机械能收集

• 批准号: 1013372
• 负责人: Joseph Taylor
• 金额: $ 14.9万
• 依托单位: InStep NanoPower, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2010-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1013372&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; power; Mechanical; Energy

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will determine feasibility of developing a radically new mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion method which is based on reverse electrowetting - a recently discovered novel microfluidic phenomenon. The approach is targeted towards high-power harvesting of mechanical energy, which is achieved through the interaction of thousands of microscopic liquid droplets with novel nanostructured films. High-power harvesting of mechanical energy is a long-recognized concept which has not been commercialized in the past due to the lack of a viable energy harvesting technology. Existing methods of mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion such as electromagnetic, piezoelectric, or electrostatic do not allow effective direct coupling to the majority of high-power environmental mechanical energy sources. There is clearly a need for a simple and efficient high-power mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion method capable of utilizing a broad range of aperiodic forces and displacements typically encountered in nature. The proposed approach aims to satisfy these goals and provide a revolutionary leap in the energy harvesting performance. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project hinges upon its ability to provide a viable alternative to traditional electrochemical batteries and thus reduce cost, pollution, and other problems associated with their widespread use. In recent years, portable electronics have become inextricably intertwined with our daily life. However, for all their decreasing size and increasing capabilities, powering mobile devices has remained a challenge. The majority of portable electronic devices are still powered by batteries. The processing power of mobile devices doubles approximately every 18 month in accordance with Moore's law. In contrast the energy capacity of batteries powering these devices has not greatly increased over the last couple of decades. As the result electrical batteries emerged as a critical bottleneck impeding further progress in portable electronics development. If successful, the proposed approach can provide a breakthrough power generation technology and lead to greatly reduced dependence on traditional batteries. This would translate into such important societal benefits as improved productivity and increased efficiency of US workers, decreased pollution due to reduction in the amount and capacity of the batteries required to achieve the same level of performance, as well as development of significant new export opportunities.

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将确定开发一种全新的机械到电能转换方法的可行性，该方法基于反向电润湿-最近发现的一种新的微流体现象。该方法的目标是通过数千个微观液滴与新型纳米结构薄膜的相互作用来实现机械能的高功率收获。机械能的高功率收集是一个长期公认的概念，由于缺乏可行的能量收集技术，过去尚未商业化。现有的机械-电能转换方法，如电磁、压电或静电，不允许有效地直接耦合到大多数高功率环境机械能源。显然，需要一种简单且有效的高功率机械-电能转换方法，其能够利用自然界中通常遇到的大范围的非周期性力和位移。所提出的方法旨在满足这些目标，并提供能量收集性能的革命性飞跃。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力取决于其提供传统电化学电池的可行替代品的能力，从而降低成本，污染和与其广泛使用相关的其他问题。近年来，便携式电子产品已经与我们的日常生活密不可分。 然而，尽管它们的尺寸不断减小，功能不断增加，但为移动的设备供电仍然是一个挑战。大多数便携式电子设备仍然由电池供电。根据摩尔定律，移动的设备的处理能力大约每18个月翻一番。相比之下，在过去的几十年里，为这些设备供电的电池的能量容量并没有大大增加。 因此，电池成为阻碍便携式电子产品进一步发展的关键瓶颈。如果成功，该方法可以提供突破性的发电技术，并大大减少对传统电池的依赖。这将转化为重要的社会效益，如提高美国工人的生产力和效率，减少达到相同性能水平所需的电池数量和容量，减少污染，以及开发重要的新出口机会。