No. 298: A university professor succeeds in electric generation using ultrasound (August 22, 2011)

A Tohoku University professor and his graduate student developed the technology to generate electricity using sound in alliance with Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany. In experiments, Professor Eiji Saito and his graduate student attached an ultrasound generator to a film made up of ferrioxide and yttrium, and transmitted sound with frequency of about 5 mega Hz to the film. The surface of a magnetic material, which is 6 mm long and 2 mm wide, vibrated with amplitude of 5 nano to generate electricity of about 100 nano volts. They found that when the sound came in the magnetic material, electrons inside it created a flow of tiny magnet and generated electricity. It is expected that 2-3 volts will be attainable should the area of the film be expanded in four directions 800 times to 10 cm square with the same amplitude. They plan to use sound sources other than ultrasound to explore the practicality of their technology. In the future, it may be possible to develop a new element that can generate electricity using sound nearby by attaching it to the wall and floor. The research results are to be published in the August 22 issue of Nature Materials of Great Britain.