(image: Korea Bizwire)
POHANG, June 14 (Korea Bizwire) – The Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has developed an innovative power generator that can produce electric energy from a small number of water drops such as raindrops and dewdrops by using the ultra-fine surface structure of a lotus leaf.
The prominent science school said Monday it had developed a lotus leaf-inspired droplet-based electricity generator (DEG) in collaboration with Kyung Hee University and Andong National University,
Existing DEGs have had limited use since they can generate electricity only when they have large water drops of more than 100 microliters.
The research team succeeded in generating electricity with 6 microliters water drops, a size equivalent to raindrops, by introducing the ultra-fine structure of a dry lotus leaf.
The surface of a lotus leaf is covered in tiny bumps that are smaller than water drops. The bumps reduce the contact force with water, helping water drops to band together and slide.
As water drops quickly bounce off the surface, the electrostatic power increases, boosting the efficiency of electricity generation.
The newly-developed power generator achieved a maximum efficiency rate of 13.7 percent, higher than the 11 percent typical of existing DEGs.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
