Physicists Harness the Atomic Motion of Graphene to Generate Clean, Limitless Power

SciTechDaily.com ^ | sOctober 2, 2020 | By University of Arkansas

[Telepathic Intruder]

If this is in fact converting heat into electricity, it should also have a refrigerating effect or it would violate the conservation of energy law.

[Red Badger]

Small amount, I’m sure.................

[Still Thinking]

That’s my gut reaction as well.

[Vermont Lt]

Not to sound like a jerk—-but there are a LOT more low energy chips using electricity than there are 3000 pound cars.

Baby steps first.

[Still Thinking]

If it’s Feynman against this guy, I’ll take Feynman.

[BipolarBob]

What is the Frequency?

Apparently Dan Rather knows but call him Kenneth if you do ask him.

[D Rider]

Graphene is one of the most expensive materials on the planet. Takes a lot of energy to make it.

[Yo-Yo]

If this is in fact converting heat into electricity, it should also have a refrigerating effect or it would violate the conservation of energy law.

Thank you, that was my thought as well. The voltage (or power) output should vary with ambient temperature. You take power out of the graphene, it should cool slightly. Room temperature raises the temperature of the graphene again, and you can take some more power out of the chip again.

At very low temperatures, there wouldn't be much power to be had out of the graphene chip.

[Red Badger]

Feynman didn’t have the tools and materials to work with the modern physicists have..............

[xp38]

Flying Cars are just around the corner!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

There's a relatively new building on the Caltech campus that appears to be focused on developing artificial photosynthesis.

If they can crack that nut then turning water into hydrogen and oxygen without the high energy process of electrolysis would be a game changer.

[KarlInOhio]

In the linked animation there is a battery in the circuit which isn't described in the article. That leaves the possibility that the graphene isn't producing the energy at all, but rather acting as the oscillator in an AC generation circuit.

Second, the graphene may not be producing any energy at all, but action as an energy capture device from slight variations in room temperature. Imagine on a large scale hooking up the coiled bimetallic element in a thermometer to a generator. As the room heats up it turns one way and as the room cools it turns the other. You would get a little bit of electricity from that.

[PIF]

But what about moving a 3000 lb car down the road at 60 mph,** in the dead of winter with heater going full blast up a 8% mountain grade?

[Red Badger]

... but rather acting as the oscillator in an AC generation circuit.

From the article:

Thibado’s team found that at room temperature the thermal motion of graphene does in fact induce an alternating current (AC) in a circuit, an achievement thought to be impossible.

[gundog]

1.23 volts, is required, if memory serves. Not sure what kind of efficiency would be required to make it viable if micro-amperages were employed. I used to wonder about synthetic plants. Graphene might make good “leaves.”

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Hope they figure out how to easily make graphene.

[Reily]

Unless I learn something else, the best I can see from this might be Internet-of-Things uses.

[KarlInOhio]

But I'm asking if the battery in the illustration is the real source of power with the graphene merely replacing the capacitor and inductor in an oscillation circuit or if the graphene is the energy source with the diodes acting as the oscillating element as the article implies. That attached video is either a bad example because it shows a battery or it is revealing the man behind the curtain that is really the energy source.

No one would say that the capacitor and inductor in a radio turning circuit are powering the radio.

[karnage]

“could be harnessed” or “HAS been harnessed” ?

I COULD date Kate Upton, but HAVE I?

[Rockingham]

Powering cheap miniature sensors in a network seems plausible. I am hard put though to imagine other applications.