Thin Film Converts Waste Heat to Electricity

Apr-19-18 A nanoelectric film able to convert heat to electricity could recycle the energy from waste heat for use in car or computers.

Developed by a team from the University of California, Berkeley, the thin film differs from similar devices that rely on the thermoelectric principle in that it is able to harness low-quality waste heat—temperatures below 212°F. By using pyroelectric energy conversion to work with lower temperatures and gradual changes, the film can harvest the waste from high-speed electronics, as well as other devices, and measures only 50 to 100 nanometers thick.

The team now plans to improve the film so that it is optimized for specific temperatures and waste heat streams.

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[NEWATLAS.COM]
[NEWS.BERKELEY.EDU]

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