IIT-I Develops Device That Generates Power Using Just Water, Evaporation

Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT Indore) has developed a device that produces electricity using nothing but water and air—without the need for sunlight, batteries or moving parts.

- Our Staff Reporter

The device silently taps into the natural process of water evaporation to extract thermal energy from the atmosphere, converting it into clean and sustainable electricity for small electronic devices.

This pioneering research comes from the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Materials (SEEM) Lab at IIT Indore, led by Prof Dhirendra K. Rai and his research team member, Khushwant Singh.

At the heart of the invention is a specially engineered membrane made of graphene oxide (a layered form of carbon) combined with zinc-imidazole, a stabilizing compound. When the membrane is partially immersed in water, it begins generating electricity as water travels upward through microscopic channels and evaporates. This evaporation-driven movement separates positive and negative ions at opposite ends of the membrane, creating a steady voltage.