World’s thinnest piezoelectricity generator

This is a potentially useful development, especially considering the possibilities of the reverse piezoelectric effect. That is, applying a current causes the material to change shape, the inverse of current generation. That could be a key to creating new products.

In fact, Epson patented just such a mechanism used in their inkjet printers. The mechanical force of current-activated piezoelectric material is used to propel droplets of colorant toward the ink-receptive surface.

Epson's success in the printer market has been notable, especially in the domain of photo printing. Because of the patents, other manufacturers, notably Canon, had to invent an alternative way to squirt colorants. Their solution was the "bubble-jet" process, heating a tiny amount of aqueous ink to vaporize it generates pressure to force droplets out of the print head.

The new, very thin piezoelectric material may have properties of this kind that can be exploited. Imagine, for example, tiny valves or actuators that could have uses in health care, robotics, etc. Combined with described piezoelectronic properties, there are a mind-boggling number of possibilities.

Would be good if it were to use more environmentally-friendly materials. The piezoelectric material as described in the article is molybdenum disulfide. This could be a huge disadvantage, since molybdenum is not so abundant in nature (scarcer than lithium). There are already concerns regarding the use of lithium, and whether its availability would be able to sustain global production (rechargeable batteries, mainly) in the next hundred years or so.

I gained a huge interest on piezoelectric materials upon learning of solar piezoelectric thermoacoustic generators. Not really as efficient as solar panels, but could be far cheaper and more environmentally-friendly.