Ultra-Thin Skin-Compatible Nano-Generators Can Power Electronics From Breathing, Eye-Blinking

A team of scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), National Nano Fab Center (NNFC), and Pennsylvania State University have showcased an ultra-thin, high-efficiency wearable device capable of generating useful amounts of energy from movements as small as natural breathing of the blink of an eye.

"This energy generating device was developed based on an ultra-thin film, increased the efficiency by ten times compared with devices with thick substrates under the same condition," explains Lee Sung-won, professor at DGIST's Department of Physics and Chemistry and senior author on the paper. "It is a new concept energy device that can supply power to a sensor that measures biosignals over a long period of time. It is a study with great potential, showing the possibility of replacing heavy and solid batteries."

The team's prototype measure just four micrometers thick — less than a tenth the thickness of the average human hair — and is entirely skin-compatible, allowing to be applied directly to the body without discomfort. As the device is flexible, it can also be curved along a joint or other surface — and retains its energy-harvesting capabilities even when folded.

In testing, the prototypes showed functionality over 10,000 deformations and delivered an energy conversion efficiency of 18.85 percent — the world's highest for such a device, the team boasts, and nearly 10,000 percent higher than equivalent designs which require a thick protective layer for use on-skin or in-body — with enough output to light an LED lamp from even a small movement of the host body.

The team is hoping to integrate the technology with biodevice sensors, offering self-powered wearables and implantables for health monitoring and more — though has not yet provided a timescale for commercialization.

The team's work has been published in the journal Nano Energy under closed-access terms.