To produce piezoelectric materials, researchers dip Kevlar fiber into chemical solutions so that the fiber is coated with semiconductive zinc oxide crystals. Hence, nanowires no more than 3.5 millimeters long and 50-200 nanometers in diameter are obtained. The nanowires planted in a polymer are like brushes with billions of bristles. Scientists pair the textile fibers covered with zinc oxide nanowires, coating one of the fibers in each pair with gold or other metal to serve as the electrode. When the pair of brushes rub against each other and the nanowires flex, an electric current is generated by the piezoelectric effect.

In May 2005, Wang first wondered whether nanoscale zinc oxide would be conductive. He proved the piezoelectric and semiconducting properties of zinc oxide nanostructures with months of experiments, and his discovery was published in Science magazine. Feedback from readers prompted him to further improve his research. Eventually, Wang and his research team successfully produced hundreds of nanogenerators with fiber. They have also conducted rigorous tests to verify that the fiber can produce electricity when flexed, even in response to ultrasound.

Wang said, "If we can combine many of these fibers in double or triple layers in clothing, we can provide a flexible, foldable and wearable power source that, for example, would allow people to generate their own electrical current while walking."

Charles Lieber, a Harvard University Professor and expert in nanotechnology, said that the research done by Wang and his team was exciting, and solved a sticking point in powering nanodevices. With nanogenerators, devices implanted into biological bodies can power themselves by converting physical movements into electricity. Batteries are no longer needed. Moreover, the fibers are also cheap to produce.

Spider Man

In Hollywood blockbuster Spider Man, the superhero can walk on walls adroitly like a gecko. Wang said that nanotechnology might enable an ordinary man to perform the stunts of Spider Man.

Geckos have inspired the technology that could allow us to mimic Spider Man. They can scurry on glass or upside down on ceilings and vertical walls. Scientists have found that the mystery of geckos lies in their feet, which are covered with millions of fine hairs, with each hair further divided into hundreds or thousands of nanostructures. The nanostructures produce electrical attractions that allow geckos to stick to any surface.

Nanomaterial imitating gecko feet can glue heavy objects to it and also allows us to peel off such objects with ease. This finding has been published in Science magazine.

Carbon nanotubes, made of pure carbon atoms, are strongly adhesive. With a diameter that is 1/10,000 of a hair, the tube is tiny, lightweight and strong and can conduct electricity and heat. "A 10 millimeters by 10 mm patch of such material can glue a person weighing 100 kg to the ceiling," said Wang. "With such material, workers can walk on the vertical walls of high-rises without the help of elevators."

Remarkable career

Wang, 47, was born in China and was admitted into a university now known as Xidian University in Xi'an City in northwest China in 1977. Because of his high physics score, he was assigned to major in physics. In 1982, he was the only university student in the five provinces in northwest China to pass the China-U.S. Physics Examination and Application (CUSPEA) test, which qualified him to study physics in the United States.

Back then, Wang, like many Chinese, did not know U.S. universities well. He picked Arizona State University because of its alphabetical order. By chance, he became the student of professor J.W. Cowley, who specialized in high-resolution electron microscopes. Wang finished the doctoral program in four years and received a Ph.D in July 1987.

Wang began to engage in nanoscience research in 1995. In less than a year, he published his first paper on nanos, which has since been cited hundreds of times.

In 1999, Wang's research team made the smallest scales in the world, which can be used to weigh an individual virus. The scales are made of a single carbon nanotube and weigh objects using magnetic resonance technology.

Because of the breakthroughs that Wang has made, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology named him one of the five top persons in the field of nanotechnology. He was also elected into the European Academy of Sciences. Wang also serves as the overseas director of the National Center for Nanotechnology and Science of China and is a visiting professor at renowned institutes of higher learning such as Peking University.