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UNIVERSITY OF BREAKTHROUGH
OULU USES LIGHT IN CREATION OF
TO TRANSMIT DATA BLUE ENERGY
A team at the University of Oulu, Finland, is working Blue energy is a renewable power source that is Testing involved fabricating 1,000 coated nanopores
on a project called the SUPERIOT Project that uses naturally generated when salt and fresh water arranged hexagonally on a silicon nitride membrane.
visible light communication rather than radio combine. Now, researchers in Switzerland have Conditions of sea water mixing with river water were
waves to transmit data. devised a method that significantly improves simulated enabling a power density of around 15
the performance of osmotic energy systems Watts per square metre to be achieved. This is two to
Light-based data transfer could, for example, replace
by allowing ions to flow more freely through three times greater than with conventional polymer
wireless Wi-Fi networks with light fidelity (Li-Fi) using
nanoscale channels. membrane technology.
a transmitter in the form of a standard LED lamp
that functions as a Wi-Fi router sending information Osmotic energy systems rely on ion-selective Professor Aleksandra Radenovic, who led the
to a receiving device. The LED lamp is modulated to membranes to generate voltage as salt water ions study, states:
flicker and the receiver interprets the flicker. When drift towards fresh water. Unfortunately, up to now,
“ Our work brings together the strengths of two
the light is on, the receiver reads a one; when it is off there has always been a trade-off between allowing
main approaches to osmotic energy harvesting:
it reads a zero. A computer or smartphone decodes ions to pas quickly and their selectivity. Maintaining
polymer membranes, which inspire our high-
the light signals. Data transmission can also be charge separation and mechanical strength are also
porosity architecture; and nanofluidic devices,
achieved in the reverse direction using infrared light issues for large scale deployment.
which we use to define highly charged nanopores.
to complete tasks such as sending an email, visible
At the EFPL Laboratory for Nanoscale Biology By combining a scalable membrane layout
white light being distracting if emitted from a phone
(LBEN) and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron with precisely engineered nanofluidic channels,
or computer.
Microscopy (CIME) a way has been demonstrated we achieve a highly efficient osmotic energy
The team is developing light-based communication to create a lubricated surface that allows ions to conversion and open a route toward nanofluidic-
particularly for use in environments where radio progress with far less friction than before by coating based blue energy systems “.
signals could potentially interfere with sensitive nanopores with tiny lipid-based bubbles known as Researcher Tzu-Heng Chen adds:
equipment, such as hospitals, aircraft and some Our vision is to print complete IoT devices. The liposomes. As a result there is faster movement of
factories. Potential is also envisaged in smart cities finished product would be a sticker no larger than selected ions without compromising on which ions “ By showing how precise control over nanopore
where devices collect data from their surroundings a bank card, designed to carry out its function can pass. geometry and surface properties can
and transmit it autonomously, as well as powering seamlessly within the Internet of Things. fundamentally reshape ion transport, our study
The lubricating effect derives from the lipid bilayers
themselves using tiny solar cells rather than batteries, A sensor on a patient could send an instant alert to that are used to coat the nanopores. These mirror moves blue energy research beyond performance
which would save many disposable batteries. nurses if they fall or if their temperature climbs too the natural structure of cell membranes, forming testing and into a true design era “.
high. Reference : ‘Lubricated Nanopores offer smoother Route to boosting
Professor Marcos Katz comments: when two layers of fat molecules align with their
Blue Energy’, New Electronics, Vol. 59 Issue 3, March 2026, p.33
They could use both radio and light for data hydrophobic tails facing inwards and their hydrophilic
“ Our goal is that in the future devices could switch
transmission, remaining safe even in environments tails facing outward. Once attached to the nanopores,
flexibly between light and radio depending on
sensitive to radio waves. At the same time, they their water-attracting surfaces pull in an ultrathin
the environment. If a finger happens to block
the smartphone’s light sensor, the connection would harvest their energy from the surrounding layer of water a few molecules thick which clings to
light “. the pore walls and prevents direct contact between
weakens or cuts out entirely, prompting the device
the pore surface and the moving ions.
to fall back on radio waves. The Institution thanks Oulu University for this submission.
20 21
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