A Taiwanese researcher’s findings on piezoelectric materials has promising implications for the field of clean, renewable and efficient energy production.
Chu Ying-hao (朱英豪), a professor at National Chiao Tung University who is working with researchers from the University of California and other institutes, told a press conference yesterday that the discovery improves on piezoelectric materials that store energy created through movements or pressure.
Piezoelectric materials are already used in automatic kinetic watches that utilize energy created by the wearer’s movements instead of using batteries.
Chu said their research improves on this by using piezoelectric bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) films, which do not contain lead and so are more environmentally friendly and easier to produce. By removing the lead, the material will have important implications for consumer products, he said.
The discovery was published in this week’s edition of Science magazine, which is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Chu received his doctorate in materials science from National Tsing Hua University in 2004 and went to the University of California, Berkeley for post-doctoral research. He began working at Chiao Tung University last year.
“We will continue supporting our young professors to make these breakthrough discoveries,” Chiao Tung University president Peter Wu (吳重雨) said, referring to the fact that Chu is only 34.
Wu praised Chu and his research team and said the university would continue to work with the global community.
Meanwhile, researchers at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) yesterday accepted the 2009 R&D 100 Award in Energy Devices from the Illinois-based R&D Magazine for their work in enhancing the safety of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries have been criticized for their susceptibility to overheating and they have been linked to fires and explosions. Concerns were raised this week after a battery recycling center in Canada burst into flames — apparently because of a battery short circuit, media reports said. Lithium-ion batteries remain popular for personal electronics — including the Apple Ipod.
Alex Peng (彭裕民), the deputy general director of ITRI’s Material and Chemical Research Laboratories, said their invention — termed Stoba — works by shutting down the battery after its internal temperatures reach 130°C. Battery makers are already testing the product and are expected to begin shipping it early next year.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY REUTERS
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