Creating Energy from the Air

Quite a revalelation,  use for LED's, IOT applications? 

Electric bacteria create currents out of thin—and thick—air
By Elizabeth Pennisi, in Science Mag 

Generating electricity from thin air may sound like science fiction, but a new technology based on nanowire-sprouting bacteria does just that—as long as there’s moisture in the air. A new study shows that when fashioned into a film, these wires—protein filaments that ferry electrons away from the bacteria—can produce enough power to light an LED. The film works by simply by absorbing humidity from the surrounding air. Though researchers aren’t sure exactly how these wires work, the tiny power plants pack a punch: 17 devices linked together can generate 10 volts, which is enough electricity to power a cell phone.  

The new method should be considered a “milestone advance” says Guo Wanlin, a materials scientist at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics who wasn’t involved with the work. Guo studies hydrovoltaics, a molecular approach to harvesting electricity from water.

The way hydrovoltaic devices work is still a bit of a mystery. When water droplets interact with certain kinds of graphene or other materials, an electric charge is generated, and electrons move through the materials. Many questions remain, however, about exactly how these devices generate electricity. “I think a deeper understanding… is needed,” says Dirk de Beer, a microbiologist developing microsensors at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.   .... "