Solar cells are conventionally used to harvest energy in outer space, but they are ineffective in dark locations. Here, it is shown that superconducting materials—which work best in cold environments, such as those found in outer space—provide a mechanism to harvest energy that does not require light. A superconducting magnetic levitation (maglev) magnetoelectric generator (SMMG) can convert mechanical impacts to electricity at its working temperature <90 K. The SMMG device consists of a permanent magnet, a conductive coil, and a superconducting layer (SL). Owing to the existence of the SL, the permanent magnet levitates over the SL and rapidly returns to an equilibrium height after being displaced by a mechanical impact. The impact changes the gap between the levitated magnet and the coil, resulting in a variation in magnetic flux that induces electrical current in the coil. Thus, the SMMG converts low-frequency (<3.7 Hz) mechanical energy to electricity. The output maximum peak voltage, peak power, and peak power density of the SMMG are 4.3 V, 35 mW, and 17.8 W m⁻², respectively, with a load resistance of 300 Ω. The SMMG can charge a capacitor of 10 000 µF to 3.8 V with a continuous impact, which is sufficient to power critical wireless communication. The superconductor works best in cold environments and therefore is well-suited for providing electricity to sensors and communication devices in outer space, particularly in places where the sun may not reach.

中文翻译：

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一种用于外太空的基于超导材料的磁悬浮发电机

太阳能电池通常用于在外太空收集能量，但在黑暗的地方它们是无效的。在这里，它表明超导材料——在寒冷的环境中工作得最好，比如在外太空发现的那些——提供了一种不需要光来收集能量的机制。超导磁悬浮 (maglev) 磁电发电机 (SMMG) 可以在其工作温度 <90 K 时将机械冲击转化为电能。SMMG 装置由永磁体、导电线圈和超导层 (SL) 组成。由于 SL 的存在，永磁体悬浮在 SL 上方，并在受到机械冲击后迅速恢复到平衡高度。冲击改变了悬浮磁铁和线圈之间的间隙，导致磁通量的变化，从而在线圈中感应出电流。因此，SMMG 将低频（<3.7 Hz）机械能转换为电能。SMMG的输出最大峰值电压、峰值功率和峰值功率密度分别为4.3 V、35 mW和17.8 W m^-2分别具有 300 Ω 的负载电阻。SMMG 可以连续冲击将 10000 µF 的电容器充电至 3.8 V，这足以为关键的无线通信供电。超导体在寒冷的环境中效果最好，因此非常适合为外太空的传感器和通信设备供电，特别是在太阳可能无法到达的地方。