Thermoelectric Materials Are Efficient And Can Generate Power
By Nick March 28, 2008
Nanotechnology is one of the fast growing techniques all over the world of science and this is only the beginning. A team of researchers from the Boston College and MIT have managed to increase the efficiency of semiconductors, air conditioners, car exhausts and other products. Also, this nanotech-based approach will provide cleaner and cheaper thermoelectric products.
The technique consists of adding alloy nano-structures into objects which will have two purposes - as coolers and power generators. There are other advantages of this approach - the products will require less energy and will recycle a part of the wasted energy.
The thermoelectric effect was discovered in the early years of the 19th century and since then many scientists tried to find new ways to make use of it. The effect consists of the idea that heat can be converted into electricity and in reverse order. The key for this discovery was to find materials that conduct electricity in a different way that they conduct the heat. One of the most thermoelectric material is the bismuth antimony telluride.
NASA uses thermoelectric materials to generate power for spacecrafts, seat manufacturers use it for automobiles to provide cooling and some automakers are trying to convert the heat from the exhaust into electric current in order to power hybrid engines. Although this nanotechnology is cheap and efficient, for the moment will not enter mass production but we guess that this will no take too long.
Topics: Tech |
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