The research team, led by Dr Walid Daoud, Associate Professor in CityU’s School of Energy and Environment, has combined two energy conversion concepts, namely piezoelectric and triboelectric effects, to create a hybrid system. It is a sandwich structure, whose surface has zinc oxide nanorods to maximise the effective electrification area. When mechanically compressed, the piezoelectric generator produces polarization charges, and the triboelectric generator produces triboelectric and electrostatic charges. The flow of these charges through an external circuit forms an electric current, which can be stored in the form of electrical energy.

The research has recently been published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials and has already drawn interest from potential industry partners.

CityU press release: http://wikisites.cityu.edu.hk/sites/newscentre/en/Pages/201701231000.aspx

SCMP news report: http://m.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2069831/hong-kong-breakthrough-lets-us-power-handsets-we-walk-jog-or-type-and