Electronics without batteries? Scientists took a step towards devices that will draw energy from the air
An international group of scientists has discovered a way to extract electricity directly from the environment, using the peculiarities of quantum physics. This discovery allows for the creation of electronic devices that may not need traditional accumulators or batteries in the future.
Photo: Peter Dazeley / Getty Images
Today, almost any electronic device — from a smartphone to a smart sensor — requires a power source. Even if energy comes from solar batteries or other generators, it still needs to be stored or converted into a form suitable for electronics to operate.
That is why physicists have been studying a phenomenon for several years that could theoretically make this process much simpler. It has been named the nonlinear Hall effect.
To understand its essence, it is worth mentioning that most electromagnetic signals around us exist in the form of alternating current. These are mobile communication signals, Wi-Fi, radio broadcasts, and many other radiations that are constantly present in the surrounding space.
The problem is that electronic devices operate on direct current. Therefore, additional components are usually needed between the energy source and the electronics to convert one type of current into another.
The nonlinear Hall effect is interesting because some materials can perform such a conversion themselves. In other words, the material is capable of directly converting ambient alternating signals into direct current, suitable for powering electronics.
If this mechanism can be effectively used, it will be possible to create devices that constantly collect small amounts of energy from the environment and do not require batteries.
However, until now, scientists poorly understood exactly what happens inside materials where the nonlinear Hall effect manifests itself. Without such an understanding, it is difficult to create practical technologies.
This very question was addressed by researchers from Queensland University of Technology in Australia and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. As Science Daily reports, scientists studied a special topological material — a class of substances that have attracted great attention from physicists in recent years due to their unusual quantum properties.
The Role of Defects and Atoms
The study showed that the behavior of the effect is determined not only by the overall structure of the material but also by very subtle features of its structure.
It turned out that at low temperatures, microscopic defects play a key role. Previously, they were often considered undesirable, hindering the material's performance. But it turned out that in this case, they actually help form the desired electrical signal.
When heated, atoms in the material begin to vibrate more strongly. Researchers found that these vibrations can significantly affect the operation of the quantum effect.
Researchers found that a peculiar competition occurs between these two mechanisms. Under some conditions, defects play the main role; under others, atomic vibrations do. As a result, not only the strength of the obtained electrical signal can change, but even its direction.
For a non-specialist, this might seem trivial, but for physicists and engineers, such a result is of great importance. It shows that quantum effects can be controlled by selecting the desired material properties and operating conditions.
Essentially, this is about moving from simply observing an interesting physical phenomenon to the possibility of its practical application.
No less important is that the nonlinear Hall effect in the studied material persists at room temperature. This is a particularly valuable result, as many quantum effects manifest only in extreme laboratory conditions at ultra-low temperatures.
In this case, we are talking about an effect that can work under normal conditions, making it much more promising for future technologies.
The obtained results help better understand how quantum materials behave and how their properties can be controlled. According to the study's authors, this could aid in the development of more compact, faster, and energy-efficient technologies.
Certainly, we are still very far from smartphones that will work completely without batteries. However, for low-power electronics — sensors, portable devices, and other compact systems — energy harvesting technologies from the environment could open up entirely new possibilities.
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