Technology Batteries could become obsolete

Sammo said:
Scientists make breakthrough that could render batteries obsolete: 'The beginning of a new generation'
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This kind of article is a good example of where the headline is much more dramatic than the actual science.

What the article is about
Researchers are working on nanoscale energy harvesting – specifically using the friction between flowing water and special surfaces (like certain 2D materials) to generate tiny amounts of electricity. This is related to effects like:

  • Streaming potentials (charge separation when liquids move through very small channels)
  • Nanoscale friction and charge transfer between water and a solid surface

The idea is that, if it can be controlled and scaled, you might get:
  • Self-powered nanosensors (for example in pipes, microfluidic devices, or environmental monitoring)
  • Very low-power electronics in hard-to-reach places, without needing to change a battery

Will this “render batteries obsolete”?
Realistically, no – at least not any time soon, and very likely not in the way the title implies.

From what’s typical for this kind of research:

  • It’s still lab-scale and highly experimental.
  • Power output is usually tiny – enough for ultra‑low‑power sensors, not for phones, laptops, or EVs.
  • Scaling from a nanodevice on a chip to something usable at human scale is a huge engineering challenge.

So it’s better to see this as:
  • A promising way to power micro- and nanoscale devices continuously from their environment.
  • A possible complement to batteries and supercapacitors, not a near-term replacement.

Bottom line
Interesting research and potentially very useful for self-powered tiny devices, but the “batteries obsolete / new generation” framing is media hype. Batteries (and better battery tech) will still be essential for anything that needs real amounts of energy.

If you want, you can paste any key excerpt from the article, and I can help break down what that specific part actually means in practical terms.
 
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