Nanofluidic device generates power with saltwater

Nanowerk   September 23, 2023 Researchers at the University of Illinois designed a nanofluidic device capable of converting ionic flow into usable electric power. Combining computational and analytical approach based on Green’s function technique and Boltzmann transport formalism they established the onset of electronic current in a doped silicon membrane induced by the long-range Coulomb interaction of ions flowing through a nanofluidic channel. Characterized by an open circuit voltage and short circuit current, the electronic Coulomb drag provided a new paradigm for power harvesting. Their model predicted a current amplification of the ionic drag current because of the large momentum transfer […]

Silver nanoparticles spark key advance in thermoelectricity for power generation

Nanowerk  May 1, 2023 To facilitate the development of thermoelectric modules for various operating temperature ranges, a connection technology that is suitable for heat-sensitive thermoelectric materials and capable of realizing both low-temperature connections and high-temperature service is required. Researchers at the University of Houston used low-temperature sintering of silver nanoparticles as an approach to connect the electrode and metallization layer of low- (Bi2Te3-based), medium- (PbTe-based) and high-temperature (half-Heusler-based) thermoelectric modules. Due to the low melting point of Ag nanoparticles and the high stability in the sintered bulk, the processing temperature of the module was decoupled from the operating temperature, avoiding […]

Heat-resistant nanophotonic material could help turn heat into electricity

Nanowerk  September 22, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan, University of Virginia) has developed materials using destructive interference phenomenon to reflect infrared energy while letting shorter wavelengths pass through. Using pulsed laser, they deposited oxides of calcium and titanium oxides. Oxides made the material more durable, less likely to degrade at high temperature, and they could be more precisely layered. The material controlled the flow of infrared radiation and was stable at temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in air, a nearly twofold improvement over existing approaches. After testing they confirmed that the material worked as […]

Mini electricity generator made from quantum dots

Phys.org  January 18, 2022 The major challenges toward the exploitation of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in electronic applications include reliable contacting, and the preservation of their physical properties upon device integration. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, UK, Germany) described the quantum dot behavior of atomically precise GNRs integrated in a device geometry. The devices consist of a film of aligned five-atom-wide GNRs (5-AGNRs) transferred onto graphene electrodes with a sub 5 nm nanogap. They demonstrated that the narrow-bandgap 5-AGNRs exhibit metal-like behavior at room temperature and single-electron transistor behavior for temperatures below 150 K. They obtained addition energies in the […]

Device turns wasted heat into clean electricity, scientists say

Phys.org  June 24, 2020 The practical efficiency of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) deployed under real environments is still not more than a few percent. A team of researchers in the US (Virginia tech, Penn State) provide fundamental insight on the operation of TEGs in realistic environments by illustrating the combined effect of thermoelectric material properties, device boundary conditions, and environmental thermal resistivity on their performance in conjunction with the module parameters. They demonstrated the existence of a critical heat transfer coefficient that dramatically affects the design and performance of TEGs. The TEGs they demonstrated generated up to 28% higher power and […]