Physics professor Paul Thibado at the University of Arkansas has received a generous grant of $904,000 from the WoodNext Foundation to support his development of graphene energy harvesters. These devices will be optimized to harvest nanowatts of power, which is sufficient to run sensors. Thibado’s team will work on developing graphene energy harvesting technology from various sources of power and integrate them into prototype sensor systems.
The goal of the project is to reduce sensor power demand and power these sensors using energy harvested from the local environment. The development of these sensors is expected to have a wide range of applications, including transportation, agriculture, environmental monitoring, disaster planning, and more. The installation cost of these graphene energy harvesters is expected to be competitive, while operational costs will be minimal.
Collaborating with professor David Blaauw from the University of Michigan, Thibado will fine-tune the sensors to align with the power supply from the graphene harvester. NTS Innovations, a nanotechnology company, holds the exclusive license to develop this technology into commercial products. Thibado hopes that the team, along with NTS Innovations, will be able to send out first-generation self-powered sensors for feedback within the second year of the grant.
Graphene, discovered in 2004, is a one-atom-thick sheet of graphite with remarkable flexibility. With the support of the University of Arkansas and the WoodNext Foundation, Thibado’s work on graphene energy harvesters is paving the way for a new era of clean energy options and smart sensors.
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Photo credit news.uark.edu
