St. Petersburg State University of Technology and Design

History

2025: Creation of a Fabric Power Generator

Russian scientists have developed an innovative fabric capable of generating electrical energy for use in rocket technology and spacecraft. The new material contains photosensitive filaments from modified carbon fiber and can be used for heat insulation of the surface of rockets with simultaneous generation of electricity in outer space. The development was presented by scientists of the St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design together with colleagues from the A. F. Ioffe Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences on June 24, 2025.

The Ministry of Education and Science Russia photosensitive filaments are reported to be a chemically pure modified carbon fiber 6 to 10 micrometers in diameter. Material has high resistance to atmospheric impact and chemical reagents. Fibers exhibit high modulus of elasticity and strength at low density and low coefficient of friction.

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Фото: minobrnauki.gov.ru

Carbon fibers are characterized by an almost zero coefficient of linear expansion, which makes them indispensable in the fields of electronics and materials science. This property is critical for space technology, where materials are subjected to extreme temperature changes. Dimensional stability ensures the reliability of rocket electronic systems in outer space.

The process of modifying carbon fiber, developed at the Department of Physics of St. Petersburg GUPTD, consists in placing the starting material in a strong electric field. Upon such exposure, the initial electron or negative conductivity of the fiber transforms into positive or hole conductivity. Changing the conductivity type provides the generating properties of the modified material.^[1]

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