Nano-generator for TPMS described

ERJ staff report (DS)

Atlanta, Georgia -- Prof. Zhong Lin Wang at Georgia Tech has published a paper on a nano-generator designed to power tyre pressure monitoring systems. The paper, A Nanogenerator for Energy Harvesting from a Rotating Tire and its Application as a Self-Powered Pressure/Speed Sensor, appears in the September issue of Advanced Materials (Volume 23, Issue 35, pages 4068-4071, September 15, 2011)

The paper describes a nanogenerator integrated onto a tyre's inner surface which scavenges mechanical energy from deformation of the tyre during its motion. To show the power output, a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen is lit directly by the nanogenerator. The possibility of scale-up is demonstrated and the potential to use the nanogenerator a self-powered tyre pressure sensor and speed detector in mobile vehicles is shown.

A report in Nanowerk says, "According to Wang, the effective working area of our nanogenerator is about 1.5 cm × 0.5 cm, and the maximum output power density approaches 70 µW/cm3".

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Abstract from Advanced Materials

Prof. Zhong Lin Wang's home page from source

Article based on paper from NanoWerk