Researchers say energy in water could power future battery breakthroughs

Electricity generated by water can be 10 times more powerful than previously thought, according to Australian researchers, who say their finding could unlock more renewable fuel and energy storage breakthroughs. 

The group, led by academics from RMIT and the University of Melbourne, revealed findings from their project on Wednesday and called for industry to participate in further advances. 

The latest study, published in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters, examined the electrical charge created when water travels over surfaces. 

While previous research found water created an electric charge when travelling from a wet to a dry surface, RMIT University research fellow Peter Sherrell said this project proved water could create a stronger charge when the process was reversed. 

“Most people would observe that rainwater drips down a window or a car windscreen in a haphazard way but would be unaware that it generates a tiny bit of electrical charge,” Dr Sherrell said. 

“In this work, we have shown that charge can be created when the liquid first contacts the surface, when it goes from dry to wet, and is 10 times stronger than wet-to-dry charging.”

The team made the discovery by measuring energy contained within water as it travelled over a flat, Teflon-coated surface using a special camera. 

The charge created by the liquid was similar to static electricity generated when someone jumped on a trampoline, University of Melbourne fluid dynamics expert Joe Berry said. 

This energy could be used to power the creation of future fuels, he told AAP, although this energy could also prove dangerous in flammable liquids. 

“Understanding how and why electric charge is generated during the flow of liquids over surfaces is important as we start to adopt the new renewable flammable fuels required for a transition to net zero,” Dr Berry said. 

“Charge builds up but because the charge can’t be conducted away by the fuel, it remains present and when it discharges it causes as spark and that can lead to fire and explosion.”

This risk is mitigated by additives and restricting the flow of petrol and diesel fuels, he said, but the group’s discovery could lead to future coatings or strategies to better limit risks. 

Future low-emission fuels and energy storage technology could become the focus of the group’s next phase of research, Dr Berry said, depending on interest from commercial firms. 

“Hydrogen is one of the potential, really promising fuels of the future and batteries – new lithium batteries that involve liquids – there are definitely applications in there,” he said.

The group’s findings come less than a week after the federal government announced a $250 million investment in developing low-emission fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel. 

However, the nation’s energy mix could change after the upcoming federal election, with Labor committed to a renewable energy pathway to reduce emissions, and the Coalition pledging to establish seven nuclear power plants.

Source: AAP