Based on the idea that water droplets can gain an electrical charge when they jump from a superhydrophobic surface during condensation, engineers built a chamber to measure the amount of charge they could generate during that process.
To create their electricity generating humidity chamber, researchers assembled a series of alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic plates. As water droplets jump from one plate to the other an electrical charge is generated. As these charges accumulate electricity is generated within the humid chamber.
According to the researchers, the chamber’s electrical haul was only a scant 15 picowatts per square centimeter of the reactor’s metal plates. Although that number is stunted MIT’s engineers note that at least a 70-fold increase in output could be achieved with a few tweaks. If those modifications could be built into a second system a microwatt of electricity could be expected from an identically sized portion of plate. With that amount of electricity a typical camping cooler sized chamber could generate enough power to charge a cellphone in 12 hours.
While the overall energy yield is quite small, in remote parts of the planet such as the Amazon or Congolian rainforest even a little bit of juice could keep people connected when they need it most. What’s more, one of the chamber’s additional benefits is its ability to produce clean water.
So sit down, take a load off and enjoy a tall drink of water. Your phone will be fully charged in half a day.
Image Courtesy of MIT