New Alloy Can Convert Heat Directly Into Electricity


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http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-06/new-alloy-can-convert-heat-directly-electricity

A new alloy with unique properties can convert heat directly into electricity, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota. The alloy, a multiferroic composite of nickel, cobalt, manganese and tin, can be either non-magnetic and highly magnetic, depending on its temperature.

Multiferroic materials possess both magnetism and ferroelectricity, or a permanent electric polarization. Materials with both of these properties are very rare; check out this explainer from the National Institute of Standards and Technology if you?re interested in the electron orbital arrangements that cause these phenomena.

In this case, the new alloy ? Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10 ? undergoes a reversible phase transformation, in which one type of solid turns into another type of solid when the temperature changes, according to a news release from the University of Minnesota. Specifically, the alloy goes from being non-magnetic to highly magnetized. The temperature only needs to be raised a small amount for this to happen.

When the warmed alloy is placed near a permanent magnet, like a rare-earth magnet, the alloy?s magnetic force increases suddenly and dramatically. This produces a current in a surrounding coil, according to the researchers, led by aerospace engineering professor Richard James. Watch a piece of the alloy leap over to a permanent magnet in the video clip below.

A process called hysteresis causes some of the heat energy to be lost, but this new alloy has a low hysteresis, the researchers say. Because of this, it could be used to convert waste heat energy into large amounts of electricity.

One obvious use for this material would be in the exhaust pipes of vehicles. Several automakers are already working on heat transfer devices that can convert a car?s hot exhaust into usable electricity; General Motors is using alloys called skutterudites, which are cobalt-arsenide materials doped with rare earths.

Rare earth magnets are already a necessity in many hybrid car batteries, so heat-capture devices made of the new multiferroic compound could be placed near the magnets.

The material could also be used in power plants or even ocean thermal energy generators, the researchers said.

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Yup I was thinking same thing with house, buildings roofs and auto bodies made from this could be a huge. And the core is a fun movie.

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The article title is really quite annoying, since the alloy does nothing of the sort. The important part of the article is this bit.

...

When the warmed alloy is placed near a permanent magnet, like a rare-earth magnet, the alloy?s magnetic force increases suddenly and dramatically. This produces a current in a surrounding coil...

It's the magnetic force that produces the current, not the alloy. Take it out of the picture and there'd still be a current in the coil (although lower). The cool bit is that the magnetic field of the alloy changes based on it's temperature.

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its Unobtainium?? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Core

It is potential scientific breakthroughs like this which could help us to solve a lot of the worlds energy concerns, layer these houses in hot countries combined with solar and wind power or even as a replacement

I shall watch with interest, could be good

But what about the effects of extracting all these rare metals from the earth? It seems everything has a trade off.

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But what about the effects of extracting all these rare metals from the earth? It seems everything has a trade off.

I'll be the first to admit I don't know too much in geology but I'm pretty sure nickel, cobalt, manganese and tin are not "rare"

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Sounds like it would work great to reduce energy consumption in anything electronic, most notably, computers.....if it wasn't for the magnetism that is. If they could find a way to properly implement this with computer systems, the hotter your system runs the more energy efficient it will become (to a point).

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mining the asteroid belt will be a huge industry in the next few decades, there's no need to bring them here, just send the robotic mining ships

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The first uses for these thermoelectrig generators will be in hybrid and electric vehicles, especially the coming big hybrid trucks; exhaust heat will be converted to electricity to charge the battery pack. They will probably be packaged with the new shock absorbers that convert motion into power. Together they should up efficiency a few notches.

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