{"54727":{"#nid":"54727","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nanotube Thermocells Hold Promise For Converting Heat Waste To Energy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA study published in the American Chemical Society\u0027s journal Nano Letters reveals that thermocells based on carbon nanotube electrodes might eventually be used for generating electrical energy from heat discarded by chemical plants, automobiles and solar cell farms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe research was a joint collaboration between Baratunde Cola, assistant professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, and an international team of researchers from the U.S., Australia, China, India and the Philippines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ECola, director of Georgia Tech\u2019s NanoEngineered Systems and Transport Research Group (NEST), described the study as a breakthrough in efficiently harvesting electrical energy from various sources of exhaust or wasted heat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u0022Our NEST Lab was fortunate to team with Dr. Ray Baughman\u0027s NanoTech Institute at UT Dallas and Dr. Gordon Wallace\u0027s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute in Wollongong, Australia, in the final year of a long collaboration that solved key technical problems,\u201d he said. \u201cWe brought fresh eyes, as well as our knowledge and experience with heat transfer engineering from the nanoscale to the scale of practical devices to the problem, which provided a key missing link. \u0026nbsp;The team will together work to enable additional breakthroughs that are required for this technology to reach its full commercial potential.\u0022 \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EEfficiently harvesting the thermal energy currently wasted in industrial plants or along pipelines could also create local sources of clean energy that in turn could be used to lower costs and shrink an organization\u2019s energy footprint.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe new thermocells use nanotube electrodes that provide a threefold increase in energy conversion efficiency over conventional electrodes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EOne of the demonstrated thermocells looks just like the button cell batteries used in watches, calculators and other small electronics. One key difference, however, is that these new thermocells can continuously generate electricity, instead of running down like a battery. The research netted other thermocells, as well, including electrolyte-filled, textile-separated nanotube sheets that can be wrapped around pipes carrying hot waste streams from manufacturing or electrical power plants. \u0026nbsp;The temperature difference between the pipe and its surroundings produces an electrochemical potential difference between the carbon nanotube sheets, which thermocells utilize to generate electricity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe research team estimates that multi-walled carbon nanotubes in large thermocells could eventually produce power at a cost of about $2.76 per watt from freely available waste energy, compared with a cost of $4.31 per watt for solar cells, which can only be used when the sun is shining. On a smaller scale, button cell-sized thermocells could be used to power sensors or electronic circuits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe new thermocells take advantage of the exceptional electronic, mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes\u2019 giant surface area and unique electronic structure afforded by their small diameter and nearly one-dimensional structure offer high current densities, which enhance the output of electrical power and the efficiency of energy harvesting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u0022Georgians have worked with state support, and in partnership with initiatives such as the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech, to realize significant gains in renewable energy production,\u201d Cola said. \u201cBut to become a leading energy state, we must increasingly explore new ways to extract and utilize all forms of energy. Harvesting waste heat as electricity is one direction our NEST Lab takes with international partners to help provide increased renewable energy options for Georgia and the world.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThis research was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, The Welch Foundation and the Australian Research Council. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ECola recently received the 2009 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award for his work on solar energy conversion. As director of the NEST Lab, his research focuses on realizing the benefits of nanoscience in applications related to waste thermal energy harvesting, solar energy conversion, and thermal management of electronics and energy systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA study published in the American Chemical Society\u0027s journal Nano Letters reveals that thermocells based on carbon nanotube electrodes might eventually be used for generating electrical energy from heat discarded by chemical plants, automobiles and solar cell farms.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Thermocells based on carbon nanotube electrodes might be used for generating electrical energy from heat."}],"uid":"15436","created_gmt":"2010-03-02 14:49:17","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:05:38","author":"Automator","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-03-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2010-03-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"54726":{"id":"54726","type":"image","title":"Baratunde Cola","body":null,"created":"1449175474","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:34","changed":"1475894481","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:21","alt":"Baratunde Cola","file":{"fid":"190180","name":"090814BR004.gif","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/090814BR004.gif","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/090814BR004.gif","mime":"image\/gif","size":206706,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/090814BR004.gif?itok=ob9AHV3n"}}},"media_ids":["54726"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8876","name":"carbon nanotubes; mechanical engineering; nanotechnology"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDon Fernandez\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:don.fernandez@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edon.fernandez@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["don.fernandez@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}