Permanent, wireless self-charging system using NIR band
As wearable devices are emerging, there are numerous studies on wireless charging systems. Here, a KAIST research team has developed a permanent, wireless self-charging platform for low-power wearable electronics by converting near-infrared (NIR) band irradiation to electrical energy. This novel technology can be applied to flexible, wearable charging systems without needing any attachments.
What is the crazy interesting part of the system is how it is made. The system was comprised of a PbS CQD-based PV module, a flexible interdigitated lithium-ion battery, and various types of NIR-transparent films. Colloidal-quantum-dots (CQDs) are promising materials for manufacturing semiconductors; in particular, PbS-based CQDs have facile optical tunability from the visible to infrared wavelength region. Hence, they can be applied to various devices, such as lighting, photovoltaics (PVs), and photodetectors.
So with this technology there will be a chance that any NIR emitting device will be able to provide power for low power devices. Just think of all the wearble items in our world that use button cells, small lipos, or even some of the newer exotics like crystals that could be replaced by a non-cabled readily chargeable "battery". Irradiation sources that can constantly charge these batteries are everywhere around us and it is just a matter of tuning the CQDs to the frequency of the radiation.
Fascinating stuff!
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Wow! I hope even non-wearable devices will have this one too
It will all depend on the power consumption of the individual device. Translating this tech into large form factors may not be as reliable as maintaining the smaller form.