Generate electricity from egg whites

Scientists at the University of Limerick, Ireland have found a very unique way to generate electricity from egg whites.

Illustration photo.

The study, published in the journal Applied Physical Letters, found a new source of energy from a protein called lysozyme. Lysozyme, found in tears, saliva, milk, and egg whites, helps break down the cell walls of bacteria and, when in crystalline form, can generate electricity when put under pressure.

By squeezing lysozyme crystals under two glass plates, the team says they measured a form of energy called piezoelectricity.

“Piezoelectricity has been widely used in life, however, the ability to generate electricity from a specific protein has not been studied. This is a biological material, it is non-toxic, so it can be used in many new areas such as making antibacterial coatings that can conduct electricity for medical implants,” said physicist Aimee Stapleton, a member of the research team.

The current generated is not very large, but it is enough to operate many medical devices, such as pacemakers implanted in the human body.

Traditionally, implanted medical devices have used batteries, which can put patients at risk of infection. Bioenergy produced from lysozyme protein is much safer.

In addition, this protein can also be used to create an antibacterial coating for medical devices because of its excellent antibacterial properties.

However, because the amount of human tears collected is not much, scientists extract lysozyme mainly from egg whites.

According to baochinhphu.vn