Powering electronic devices with Wi-Fi

Two-dimensional materials offer intriguing opportunities for flexible, wearable electronic devices but, as with other electronic devices, they need to be powered. Electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi systems is becoming increasingly ubiquitous, and so would be an ideal source of energy if it could be harvested. By integrating a flexible rectifier made from a two-dimensional material with a flexible antenna, Tomás Palacios and colleagues demonstrate direct energy harvesting of Wi-Fi radiation, which powers their rectifier without the need for a battery. The team believe that it should be possible to integrate this type of energy-harvesting building block with many flexible electronic systems.