What is a Nanogenerator?
A nanogenerator is any nanoscale device used to generate power. Usually this would mean dimensions less than a micron (1000 nanometers or 1/1000th of a millimeter), but in practice, the word has been used to describe generators as large as 2 mm, or 2,000,000 nanometers in diameter. Alternatively, a nanogenerator may be any generator that uses nanoscale tools, like nanowires, to generate electricity. So far, the term “nanogenerator” has mainly been used in reference to the work of Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Wang’s team built a nanogenerator that uses an array of zinc-oxide nanowires to convert ultrasonic waves into electricity. The nanogenerator exploits the piezoelectric effect, a phenomenon displayed by certain materials whereby mechanical stress is converted directly into electric current. Wang visualizes the nanogenerator built into future nanomachines or implants that can get power directly from vibrations within the human body caused by t
