Heat harvesting nanomaterial paves way for more efficient electronics
1 min read
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have developed a new thermoelectric nanomaterial capable of collecting wasted heat from industrial processes and electrical devices and converting it into electricity.
In collaboration with researchers from the University of Wollongong, Australia, the team started with zinc oxide, a cheap, non toxic material already used in nanoengineering.
While zinc oxide has many properties that make it suitable for energy harvesting, such as a high melting point, the material's high thermal conductivity has been a roadblock to its effectiveness in collecting and converting waste heat.
The Rensselaer team, however, discovered a new way to get round this by adding tiny amounts of aluminum to samples of shape controlled zinc oxide nanocrystals, before processing the two materials together in a microwave oven.
According to lead researcher Dr Ganpati Ramanath, the researchers were even able to produce several grams of the nanomaterial in a matter of few minutes, which is enough to make a device measuring a few centimeters long.
Ramanath commented: "We are the first to demonstrate such favourable thermoelectric properties in bulk sized high temperature materials, and we feel that our discovery will pave the way to new power harvesting devices from waste heat."
