Squeeze Power

Ornes, Stephen. "Squeeze Power." Science News for Kids. The Society for Science and the Public, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 04 Sept. 2012. <http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/08/squeeze-power/>.

Engineers at northwestern University in Illinois have discovered a new way to make energy by using plastic and squeeze power. At the university they have begun testing there theory by injecting their special solution and water into the base of the shoe. When this solution inside the base with the water is put through tension or squeeze power it combines with the water to make hydrogen peroxide a catalyst that make reactions go by lowering the activating energy that is why it is used as a common medicine for cuts or scrapes. This happens on a chemical level by when the foot applies pressure to the bottom of the shoe it break about the electron pairs that hold atoms together releasing free radicals that eventually react with the water to form the hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide can also release tiny color-changing chemicals that alter the color of the water and give the shoe base the color after the reaction. With the energy released by this as efficient as coal burning power plants the scientists hope the technology can one day be used to replace fossil fuels.

Free radicals aren’t always a good thing because they can cause plastic replacements like catheters and breast implants to release free radicals which are harmful to the body by that they damage cells and cause other health problems. This research also explains why plastics break from wear and tear it because the electron pairs are breaking releasing those free radicals. This reminds me of my APES class this year where we talked about plastic and how they damaging it can be to the environment but maybe with this we can recycle our plastic waste into energy and it solves both the energy crisis and the plastic problem. This also reminds me of my ninth grade biology class