MIT researchers have come up with a new method of producing electricity using carbon nanotubes. The new phenomenon, described as “Thermopower Waves” is capable of causing powerful waves of energy to shoot through carbon nanotubes. Like a collection of flotsam propelled along the surface by waves traveling across the ocean, it turns out that a thermal wave traveling along a microscopic wire can drive electrons along, creating an electrical current.
For the process, the team of scientists coated carbon nanotubes with a layer of a reactive fuel that can produce heat by decomposing. This fuel was then ignited with either a laser beam or a high voltage spark, resulting into a fast moving heat wave that pushes electrons along the tube, creating a substantial electrical current. After further development, the system now puts out energy, in proportion to its weight, about 100 times greater than an equivalent weight of lithium-ion battery.
The amount of power released is said to be much greater than that predicted by thermoelectric calculations. Just as an ocean wave can pick up and carry a collection of debris along the surface, the thermal wave, appears to be entraining the electrical charge carriers. The scientist said that the system could be used in new kinds of ultra-small electronic devices that could also be injected into the body. Another application could be its use in environmental sensors that could be scattered like dust in the air.
No comments:
Post a Comment