piezoelectric

Piezoelectricity (pron.: /piˌeɪzoʊˌilɛkˈtrɪsɪti/) is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (notably crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and various proteins)[1] in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure. It is derived from the Greek piezo or piezein (πιέζειν), which means to squeeze or press, and electric or electron (ήλεκτρον), which stands for amber, an ancient source of electric charge.[2] Piezoelectricity was discovered in 1880 by French physicists Jacques and Pierre Curie. [3]

For more information about piezoelectric check the Wikipedia article here

ZME Science posts about piezoelectric

Power cell that both generates and stores energy by-passes batteries

Fri, Dec 7, 2012

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Generating useful energy out of otherwise mundane activities has been a goal for scientists for many years. Bicycle dynamos that generate electrical current to power a headlight from the kinetic energy generated by the cyclist have been used since the turn of the last century. Modern approaches have gone to greater lengths, turning ones footsteps on [...]

Nanotech powered by your breath

Thu, Oct 20, 2011

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At the nano scale, even the slightest of motions can be harnessed and transformed into useful work. Material science researchers  at the University of Wisconsin, for instance, have developed a very thin plastic belt capable of vibrating from low velocity fluid flow, such as one’s breath. Made out of  polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), the microbelt not only [...]

Princeton student creates mini flying carpet

Tue, Oct 4, 2011

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A grad student from the prestigious college has created an actual flying carpet, that moves thanks to “ripple power waves” that come from an electrical current which are driven forward from air packets. At the moment, the device moves at only 1 cm per second, but it is only the first prototype, and can be [...]

In the future: laptops powered by typing

Fri, Jun 24, 2011

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What if you could power regularly used consumer electronics, like for say a laptop, just by using them? It’s an incredible prospect, one which Australian scientists from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) hope to turn into reality in the near future. Harnessing the power of piezoelectric technology, researchers successfully embedded a piezoelectric thin [...]

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