Guelph prof makes shocking discovery: Slime that has the power to generate electricity

An associate professor at the University of Guelph has made an electric discovery in her science lab.

Erica Pensini has concocted a water-based slime that has the ability to generate electricity when stretched or squeezed. 

The slime is made up of three natural ingredients: lysine, oleic acid and lots of water. 

"I was pretty excited because there are many materials that are piezoelectric (generate electricity), but not materials that are self assembled and have so much water," said Pensini. "So this was kind of the exciting bit, the fact that we could match the water content of the human body."

The slimy substance is clear in colour and odourless. 

WATCH | Electrified slime with real-world potential:

Electrified slime with real-world potential

15 days ago

Duration 3:34

Researchers at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon are working hard to develop an electrified slime with real-world applications. Erica Pensini joined Saskatoon Morning to talk about how this slime could work and what it could be used for.

The slime doesn't make enough electricity to power a light bulb but Pensini says it's more suitable for external healing of the body. 

"If you cut [your skin], then you are going to create a stress, a deformation inside the skin. So you generate electric fields. Now these electric fields call the healing cells to the injured area and allow for healing to occur," she explained. 

The man-made slime facilitates the healing process. 

Pensini said she would be willing to partner with a medical doctor to complete clinical trials about the extent of the slime's healing capabilities. 

In the meantime, she continues to use it solely for personal use.

"It definitely doesn't hurt you because it's made of amino acids, a component of olive oil and a lot of water," she said. 

There are currently healing patches on the market that are piezoelectric, but Pensini says her slime's application would be different because it is completely bio-based with enough water to match the content of the human body.

"Healing could theoretically happen faster. In this case, the bandage would be activated by our natural movements and breathing."

Prototype study

The slime was further studied at the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan by Pensini and her team. 

Canadian Light Source is Canada's national synchrotron light source facility.

In a release on Feb. 6, the research facility offered other ways the slime could be used.

"If installed in floors, it could produce clean energy when people walk on it," the Canadian Light Source website says.

"If incorporated into a shoe insole, it could be used to analyze your gait."

The idea of using the slime as a basis for synthetic skin to train robots to know how much pressure to use when checking the pulse of a patient is also being explored. 

The research into the electric slime was published in the Journal of Molecular Liquids on Feb. 1.