nanotech
Ferns provide model for nanodevice power
Filed in archive Research by george elvin on September 19, 2006
Ferns provide model for nanodevice power
A constant challenge in nanotechnology is how to power all those tiny devices. Getting electricity to them the way we power most appliances today, for instance, is extremely impractical. Nanodevices need to draw power from immediate, local sources. But how?

Scientists at the University of Michigan are definitely thinking outside the box by looking at ferns to use light or heat to generate power. Yes, ferns. It started when assistant professor Michel Maharbiz gave doctoral student Ruba Borno a book on plants for her research on biomimicry. In studying it, Borno became fascinated with the section on how ferns spread their spores.
"It's essentially a microactuator," said Maharbiz, meaning that the fern sporangium transforms one form of energy, in this case heat via the evaporation of water, into motion. When the cells in the outer wall of the sporangium were water logged, the sporangium remained closed like a fist, storing the spores safely inside. But when the water in the outer wall evaporated, it caused the sporangium to unfurl and eject the spores into the environment.

The researchers examined some fern leaves under a microscope. They found that when exposed to light or heat or any evaporation-inducing event, the sporangia opened and released the spores.

"Once we saw that, we thought, 'Oh, we have to build that,'" Maharbiz said.
The group plans to add electrical components to the device in an attempt to generate electricity. They predict that the device will be able to generate the same amount of electricity as other scavenging devices, say, a solar cell in a calculator.

They have also posted a nice short video of the ferns in action. (photo University of Michigan)


Permalink: Ferns provide model for nanodevice power
Tags: nanotechnology  nanotech  nano  fern  electricity  power  nanodevice  biomimicry  ferns  model+nanodevice 
Trackback: http://publish.creative-weblogging.com/publish/mt-tb.pl/36629
img Addthis img Ask img Blinklist img del.icio.us img Digg img Fark img Facebook img Google img Lycos img Ma.gnolia Add this page to Mister Wong Mr Wong img Netscape img Netvousz img Newsvine img Reddit img StumbleUpon img Slashdot img Tailrank img Technorati img Wink img Yahoo

Vote for Ferns provide model for nanodevice power:

  • Currently 7.25/10
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
Rating: 7.25 out of 4 vote(s) cast.
Subscribe
Share It
RSSrss
See all blog subscribe options
Google google
What is RSS?
Yahoo! yahoo
Addthis Subscribe using any feed reader!
Bloglines Bloglines
Newsletter

TwitterFollow us on Twitter!