There are several different ways to make electricity. But did you know you could produce power with your tears? That's what a new study claims.
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Researchers from the University of Limerick in Ireland recently conducted an experiment, published in the Applied Physics Letter journal, to determine which substances generate piezoelectricity, a form of energy that occurs as a product of stress and pressure.
They discovered that lysozyme, a special protein found in egg whites, milk, tears and saliva, can create an electric charge when pressed between glass.
"While piezoelectricity is used all around us, the capacity to generate electricity from this particular protein had not been explored. The extent of the piezoelectricity in lysozyme crystals is significant. It is of the same order of magnitude found in quartz," lead author Aimee Stapleton said in a statement.
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Scientists believe the discovery could lead to more research and the inventions of medical devices that can be controlled by sensors from the body.
“The magnitude of the piezoelectric effect in lysozyme is appreciable and may motivate further research in the area of energy harvesting and flexible electronics for biomedical devices,” the researchers said. “The finding of piezoelectricity in a globular protein such as lysozyme may have relevance in biology.”
Learn more about the findings here.
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