A team of researchers at Jadavpur University
here has developed a biodegradable energy harvester - from raw fish scales -
which could be tapped as a sustainable green energy source for next generation
self-powered implantable medical devices. It also has the potential for
personal portable electronics with reduced e-waste elements said the
researchers. Fish scales, a by-product that is usually thrown away, contain
collagen fibres that possess a piezoelectric property, which means that an
electric charge is generated in them in response to mechanical stress. The
researchers have synthesised flexible bio-piezoelectric nanogenerator (BPNG)
from this bio-waste.