Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have succeeded in producing hydrogen from zinc oxide crystals and water. They immersed zinc oxide crystals in water and could harvest hydrogen from vibrations caused by passing traffic and waves. This mechanism is called the piezoelectrochemical effect.
When placed in water, the novel zinc oxide crystals react to sound-generated vibrations and develop areas with strong positive and negative charges. Later, the surrounding water molecules break up and produce hydrogen and oxygen. During this process, 18 percent of the energy from vibrations is converted into hydrogen gas. That’s really impressive when compared to 10 percent of the same coming from conventional piezoelectric materials. The research could someday enable scientists to generate green energy from sound waves at airports, oceans and from autos. Via Inhabitat | Greendiary
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