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Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material

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May 26, 2023 at 9:05 p.m. EDT
Water droplets suspended in the air fall on the spaghetti-like nanoporous material, generating electricity that flows through the electrodes (yellow rectangle) to power whatever needs powering. (Derek Lovley/Ella Maru Studio)
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Nearly any material can be used to turn the energy in air humidity into electricity, scientists found in a discovery that could lead to continuously producing clean energy with little pollution.

The research, published in a paper in Advanced Materials, builds on 2020 work that first showed energy could be pulled from the moisture in the air using material harvested from bacteria. The new study shows nearly any material, such as wood or silicon, can be used, as long as it can be smashed into small particles and remade with microscopic pores. But there are many questions about how to scale the product.