Harvesting Brownian Motion Using Graphene
RandomFactor writes:
A team of physicists at the University of Arkansas has published an article on harvesting energy from the brownian motion in a single atom thick layer of graphene.
"An energy-harvesting circuit based on graphene could be incorporated into a chip to provide clean, limitless, low-voltage power for small devices or sensors," said Paul Thibado, professor of physics and lead researcher in the discovery.
The findings, published in the journal Physical Review E, are proof of a theory the physicists developed at the U of A three years ago that freestanding graphene-a single layer of carbon atoms-ripples and buckles in a way that holds promise for energy harvesting.
The idea of harvesting energy from graphene is controversial because it refutes physicist Richard Feynman's well-known assertion that the thermal motion of atoms, known as Brownian motion, cannot do work. 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.
This is done in a circuit with no temperature differential.
According to Thibado "If millions of these tiny circuits could be built on a 1-millimeter by 1-millimeter chip, they could serve as a low-power battery replacement."
Journal Reference:
P. M. Thibado, P. Kumar, Surendra Singh, et al. Fluctuation-induced current from freestanding graphene, Physical Review E (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.102.042101)
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