New low-cost technology ups the game of energy-harvesting nanogenerators

Have you ever wondered why pieces of Styrofoam get stuck to a cat’s fur? Or why some clothes, when rubbed together, sometimes cling to each other? This happens because some materials, when in contact, develop an electric charge, known as static electricity. Always on the lookout for newer energy sources, scientists often wondered whether this “contact electricity” could be converted to useful electrical energy.