Loofa sponge is made from dried loofah skin.
Andriana Sivanic/Shutterstock
A loofah sponge, the porous shell left after drying the loofah fruit, can produce enough electricity to power an LED when squeezed. Researchers say their discovery could lead to cheaper, environmentally friendly power sources for small devices, but it’s unclear whether sponges can generate enough energy for practical use.
Many electrically insulating materials can generate electrical charges when deformed. This is a phenomenon called piezoelectricity, but the size of the charge is usually small enough to disappear. Jianxiang Wang and colleagues at Peking University in Beijing investigated whether loofah material, commonly used in kitchens and showers, could be used more effectively. They chemically treated the dried sponge to remove the two polymers that make up its structure, lignin and hemicellulose, leaving only the crystalline form of cellulose.
When a 6-millimeter-thick section of this sponge was crushed by hand, it generated up to 8 nanoamps of electricity. Placing this in an electrical circuit with a capacitor that could store the power of many pumpkins, I was able to power six LED lights for a short period of time.
Wang said loofah sponges are environmentally friendly and could provide a cost-effective way to produce small power supplies for a variety of devices, but ultimately natural materials may be easier to produce. He says there is a possibility of creating artificial substitutes.
“You would need a larger loofah sponge to charge your phone, which may not be very practical at the moment,” he says. “But if someone can create an artificial or man-made loofah by mimicking the microstructure, chemical properties, and physical properties of a loofah, perhaps we can increase production.” [the amount of electricity produced]. It may provide inspiration for other designs. ”
but, Andrew Bell The researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK are skeptical about the practicality of this approach. According to him, the ratio of electrical power to mechanical input from squeezing is small compared to other piezoelectric materials such as lead zirconate titanate, which limits its practical application.
“We feel that the technical impact is very small,” he says. “I don’t buy stocks.” loofah Plantation will soon be established. ”
topic:
- electricity/
- materials science