A hitherto unknown phenomenon described as thermopower waves, discovered by MIT researchers, reportedly opens up a new area of energy research. The new phenomenon can be used to send powerful waves of energy through minuscule carbon nanotube wires.
A moving pulse of heat traveling along a microscopic wire drives electrons along creating electric current. Carbon nanotubes are a few billionths of a meter in size and qualify as a microscopic wire. These tubes are lattices of invidividual carbon atoms, and constitute one of the most promising current development in nanotechnology.
A complicated process initiated by coating the tube with a fuel that produces heat by decomposing, and then igniting the fuel was observed to push electrons along and create a substantial electrical current. The size of the voltage peak that resulted from the experiment surprised the researchers.
Weight for weight, the above process is reported to create 100 times more energy than a lithium-ion battery. The researchers attribute this high energy output to a process they call electron entrainment. It is similar to ocean waves picking up debris and carrying it along.
Applications include producing tiny devices that are distributed in the environment like dust and act as sensors. According to the sceintists, the power does not leak when not used, as it happens in batteries. Instead, it can remain available indefinitely until used.
Read the report at: NanoRealm
