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January  27, 2025
Wi-Fi may soon be converted into electricity to power devices

When it comes to Wi-Fi connectivity, the Philippines needs a robust infrastructure to boost growth and attain its goal of becoming an upper middle-income country in the next couple of years. This is according to World Bank vice president for East Asia and Pacific, Manuela Ferro, who said that bringing greater internet access to the grassroots can bridge the digital divide, empower communities, and unlock the full potential of the digital economy.

However, even before the Philippines attains the desired robust infrastructure in terms of Wi-Fi connectivity, innovations in the world of technology continue to take place. One can’t help but get caught unaware of things to come because they happen fast. The best thing to do is to be always on the lookout for what is new because just when we thought that technology is at its peak, there is more to come. After all, acquiring knowledge about the progress in technology is a continuing process.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a groundbreaking technology that transforms ambient Wi-Fi and cellular signals into usable electricity, paving the way for battery-free electronic devices. By utilizing nanoscale spin-rectifiers, the system converts low-power RF signals into DC voltage, even at signal levels below -20 dBm.

Traditional rectifiers, such as Schottky diodes, struggle to operate at low power due to thermodynamic constraints and parasitic effects. However, nanoscale spin-rectifiers offer a more compact and efficient solution. “Nanoscale spin-rectifiers offer a compact technology for sensitive and efficient RF-to-DC conversion,” said Professor Yang Hyunsoo, who led the project.

The technology, featuring a rectifying antenna (rectenna), captures electromagnetic waves and converts them into electricity using quantum materials, achieving an efficiency of 7.8%. “Spin-rectifier technology offers a promising alternative, surpassing current Schottky diode efficiency and sensitivity in the low-power regime,” said Dr. Raghav Sharma, the first author of the paper.

The research team is now focusing on integrating an on-chip antenna to further enhance the efficiency and compactness of their technology. The scientists are also considering series-parallel connections and on-chip interconnects to improve RF power harvesting, with the potential to generate enough voltage to eliminate the need for a DC-to-DC booster.

“This advancement benchmarks RF rectifier technologies at low power, paving the way for designing next-generation ambient RF energy harvesters and sensors based on spin-rectifiers,” Sharma said. This innovation has already powered small devices, such as sensors and thermometers, and future advancements could integrate on-chip antennas to support battery-free IoT devices, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of wireless networks.

Reference: Forget batteries! This device turns Wi-Fi signals into electricity

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