id448696252 Nanotechnology in the fight against climate change

As human-driven climate change rages on, the search for alternative energy sources is kicking into high gear. Scientists are now developing nanotechnology systems for harvesting energy from the environment, or even from human movements.

A team at the University of Texas at Dallas has created a form of yarn, which they call twistrons, that contains nanofibers. When the fibers are stretched or bent, the kinetic energy is translated into electrical energy, which can be measured or harvested (via the University of Texas at Dallas).

In terms of large-scale energy generation, the fibers could be implemented into devices placed in the environment, and gather energy from the natural movements of waves or wind. Perhaps more interestingly, the fibers can be woven into everyday garments and worn, generating electricity as the wearer goes about their day.

To test that potential application, researchers crafted a glove containing twistrons. The wearer then moved their fingers to form various letters in American Sign Language. Not only did the glove successfully generate electricity, but the researchers were also able to distinguish the different signs being made based on the energy output. As a result, the glove could also be used as a self-powered sign language translation device.

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A startup called SkyNano was founded by Anna Douglas while she was pursuing a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. The company has developed an electrochemical process that captures gaseous CO2 emissions, and converts them into solid carbon nanotubes. Greenhouse gases go in, and carbon nanotubes and oxygen come out (via Forbes).

The technology has the benefit of sequestering carbon that would have made its way into the atmosphere — indeed, the company claims the carbon can be stored for more than 1,000 years — and there are additional downstream applications. As made apparent by the other technologies we've discussed, carbon nanotubes have all manner of applications across the nanotechnology space.

This technology is capable of taking one of humanity's biggest problems, and transforming it into a useful resource that could do a lot of good. They estimate they can address 10% of global emissions, which isn't a whole solution on its own, but it's nothing to scoff at.

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