This could be the energy source for implantable electronics...
Implantable electronics that can deliver drugs, monitor vital signs and perform other health-related roles are on the horizon. But finding a way to power them remains a challenge. Now scientists have built a flexible nanogenerator out of cellulose, an abundant natural material, that could potentially harvest energy from the body—its heartbeats, blood flow and other almost imperceptible but constant movements.
It delivers a high electrical throughput that is an open circuit voltage of ∼30 V and power density ∼9.0 μW/cm3 under repeated hand punching. We demonstrate to power up various portable electronic units by HPG. Because cellulose is a biocompatible material, suggesting that HPG may have greater potential in biomedical applications such as implantable power source in human body.
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