铁锈很常见，看到它我们往往会想到腐烂、衰败等等。但让人想不到的是，铁锈也能用来发电。这就意味着在人类的可持续发展方面有它的用武之地。
Generating electricity from rust
by Emily Matchar
Rust – iron oxide, in chemical terms – may be a valuable tool in the sustainable energy tool kit. New research shows that running saltwater over thin films of rust can generate electricity. This process could eventually be used to harness（控制并利用） power from desalination（海水淡化） plants, ocean buoys, bridges and more.
rust /rʌst/ n. 铁锈
oxide /ˈɒksaɪd/ n. 氧化物
in ... terms 从…方面来说
chemical /ˈkemɪk(ə)l/ adj. 化学的
tool /tuːl/ n. 工具
sustainable /səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/ adj. 可持续的（由sustain加后缀-able变成形容词）
run /rʌn/ v. 使移动、使流动
saltwater /ˈsɒltˌwɔːtə(r)/ n. 咸水、海水（由salt和water组成）
film /fɪlm/ n. 薄膜、薄层
generate /ˈdʒenəreɪt/ v. 产生、发（电）
process /ˈprəʊses/ n. 过程、变化过程
eventually /ɪˈventʃuəli/ adv. 最终
plant /plɑːnt/ n. 工厂
buoy /bɔɪ/ n. 浮标
Franz Geiger, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University, struck upon the idea after watching a demonstration of water droplets generating electricity as they rolled down graphene. As the water moved, it was attracting electrons in the graphene and dragging them along, which generated a current. This is an example of what's known as the "electrokinetic（动电的） effect."
strike /straɪk/ upon 突然想到（struck是strike的过去式）
demonstration /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 演示、展示（由demonstrate加后缀-ion变成名词）
droplet /ˈdrɒplət/ n. 小水滴
roll /rəʊl/ v. 滚动
graphene /ˈɡræfiːn/ n. 石墨烯
electron /ɪˈlektrɒn/ n. 电子
current /ˈkʌr(ə)nt/ n. 电流
Graphene, a nanomaterial made of sheets of carbon atoms, has a number of remarkable qualities, but it's difficult to prepare over large areas. Geiger wondered if the same thing would work if he used thin films of metal instead.
nanomaterial /ˈnænə(ʊ)məˌtɪəriəl/ n. 纳米材料（由material加上表示纳米的前缀nano-）
carbon /ˈkɑːb(ə)n/ n. 碳
atom /ˈætəm/ n. 原子
remarkable /rɪˈmɑːkəb(ə)l/ adj. 不同寻常的、引人注意的
quality /ˈkwɒləti/ n. 品质
For the experiment, researchers created a thin layer of iron on a glass surface. This produced an incredibly thin layer of metal, just 10 to 20 nanometers thick, or about 1,000 times thinner than a sheet of Saran wrap. When exposed to air, the iron film spontaneously（自然而然地） developed an even thinner film of rust on top.
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
layer /ˈleɪə(r)/ n. 一层
surface /ˈsɜːfɪs/ n. 表面
incredibly /ɪnˈkredəbli/ adv. 难以置信地
nanometer /ˈnænə(ʊ)ˌmiːtə(r)/ n. 纳米（1纳米等于十亿分之一米）
Saran /səˈræn/ wrap 保鲜膜
expose /ɪkˈspəʊz/ v. 暴露、直接接触
The team then flowed saltwater across the material and watched what happened. Electricity! The rust was generating power by the electrokinetic effect, just as the graphene had.
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ n. 原材料
The technology could be used in desalination plants or water treatment plants, where a pump would flow water over large areas of rust film to help recover a portion of the energy spent treating the water. Rust film could also be used to cover buoys to generate power for scientific equipment at sea, or on bridges to create electricity for nearby structures. It could even be used to power medical devices. That's because the process works with any ionic（离子的） solution, not just saltwater.
treatment /ˈtriːtmənt/ n. 处理、加工（由treat加后缀-ment变成名词）
portion /ˈpɔːʃ(ə)n/ n. 一部分
treat /triːt/ v. 处理、加工
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ n. 装备、器材
structure /ˈstrʌktʃə(r)/ n. 结构体、建筑物
medical /ˈmedɪk(ə)l/ adj. 医疗的
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ n. 设备、装置
solution /səˈluːʃ(ə)n/ n. 溶液
"It can be normal saltwater; it could be blood; it could be brackish（微咸的） water," says team member Tom Miller, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. "The only thing you really need is that the liquid needs to be dripping or flowing."
drip /drɪp/ v. 滴落、滴下
The team has a grant from DARPA to develop the technology, and has filed a provisional（临时性的） patent application. They are scaling the process, and looking at how it works when the film is applied to 3D surfaces rather than sheets.
grant /ɡrɑːnt/ n. 政府拨款
DARPA （美国）国防部高级研究项目局
file /faɪl/ v. 正式提交
patent /ˈpeɪt(ə)nt/ n. 专利、专利权
scale /skeɪl/ v. 缩放、改变大小（这里指放大）
apply /əˈplaɪ/ v. 应用、运用
There seems something almost magical about generating forward momentum from a material so associated with decay. "For me it sort of confirms something I've always liked to think about the world," says Emilie Lozier, a Northwestern PhD student who worked on the research. "Which is that there's the extraordinary in the ordinary, and we don't need to look for particularly exotic material to find things that are worth exploring."
magical /ˈmædʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 魔法般的、神奇的（由magic加后缀-al变成形容词）
forward /ˈfɔːwəd/ adj. 向前的
momentum /məˈmentəm/ n. 动量、推动力（这里的forward momentum指社会进步）
associate /əˈsəʊsieɪt/ v. 联系、关联
decay /dɪˈkeɪ/ n. 腐烂、衰败
sort of 有点、在某种程度上
confirm /kənˈfɜːm/ v. 证实
PhD student 博士研究生
exotic /ɪɡˈzɒtɪk/ adj. 奇特的、异类的
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