MIT Engineers Have Discovered a Completely New Way of Generating Electricity

[Mr. Sparkle]

Source: Scitechdaily.com



MIT engineers have discovered a new way of generating electricity using tiny carbon particles that can create a current simply by interacting with liquid surrounding them. The liquid, an organic solvent, draws electrons out of the particles, generating a current that could be used to drive chemical reactions or to power micro- or nanoscale robots, the researchers say.

“This mechanism is new, and this way of generating energy is completely new,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. “This technology is intriguing because all you have to do is flow a solvent through a bed of these particles. This allows you to do electrochemistry, but with no wires.” In a new study describing this phenomenon, the researchers showed that they could use this electric current to drive a reaction known as alcohol oxidation — an organic chemical reaction that is important in the chemical industry.

When these particles are submerged in an organic solvent such as acetonitrile, the solvent adheres to the uncoated surface of the particles and begins pulling electrons out of them. “The solvent takes electrons away, and the system tries to equilibrate by moving electrons,” Strano says. “There’s no sophisticated battery chemistry inside. It’s just a particle and you put it into solvent and it starts generating an electric field.”


Read more: https://scitechdaily.com/mit-engineers-have-discovered-a-completely-new-way-of-generating-electricity/

[Crowman2009]

1. There have been a lot of innovations recently involving the use of common materials to...

...store electricity at renewable energy plants. I saw it from this Nova documentary titled "Search For The Super Battery" which mentioned about these large batteries that could be used for fixed locations like power plants. These batteries didn't require any restrictive temperature & humidity standards used in making lithium batteries. They were even making them at a former cookie factory.

[Joinfortmill]

2. Cool

[NNadir]

3. We can be sure that at MIT, people know the second law of thermodynamics, and in fact, the first law

This is not in the realm of "breakthrough."

It's in the realm of "laboratory curiosity."

[multigraincracker]

5. +1

Thanks

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Amen to that

Seems to me I recall you can generate electricity with a lemon.

[spike jones]

18. I remember seeing it done with a potato.

[link:https://greentumble.com/how-to-produce-electricity-from-a-potato/|

[roamer65]

19. I had a lemon that generated electricity.

A Ford Escort.

[bucolic_frolic]

25. What went first

rack and pinion, waterpump, or head gasket?

How many watts of horsepower did it have?

[roamer65]

33. LOL.

Head gasket.

[Gore1FL]

8. Why does it have to violate physical laws to be a breakthrough? NT

[Happy Hoosier]

20. Exactly.... curious post.

This isn't magic. It's doesn't change what we know about physics. It's a new way to do something. We occasionally discover those....

[caraher]

26. I don't think NNadir's challenge

His point is that the first law of thermodynamics, which he is not demanding anyone break in order to claim a true "breakthrough," surely governs this process and limits what use this effect can have. Consider, for instance hydrogen fuel cells for transportation. It takes energy to separate hydrogen from whatever molecule it used to be part of (be it methane, water, or something else) and the fuel cell simply recovers some of that energy and converts it to work.

So it's almost certainly not a "breakthrough" from the perspective of solving our energy problems writ large. But there may be some interesting niche applications for this effect (which is a step above mere "laboratory curiosity;" I'm less inclined to issue a blanket negative judgment regarding potential uses).

[Wounded Bear]

27. NNadir also has a "nuclear first and foremost" agenda, too...

don't forget that. Any new technology that gets presented is sure to draw a negative critique from him.

This tech seems to offer something useful in small applications where currently the battery is the largest component of the device. Whether it ever gets expanded to more typical uses in everyday life remains to be seen.

[Gore1FL]

38. It's a breakthrough in understanding. nt

[progree]

35. This isn't the first time with one of these

Last edited Wed Jun 9, 2021, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

claiming that we were claiming that a mining truck with regenerative braking was a perpetual motion machine.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127131216#post14
Finally I explained it in #19 which refers to #10 in case that's needed.

[Gore1FL]

39. I remember that thread, now that you reminded me of it.

I recall, at the time, facepalming to the same misunderstanding of the process you linked to.


You have a good memory.

[ProfessorGAC]

28. Well Said!

I've been in plants that oxidize organics.
I've never seen a need to oxidize alcohols to higher states.
The splitting of fats & oils to fatty acids, allows reducing to aldehydes & later alcohols.
I'm not sure the power here to go the other way, as it's harder to make a fatty alcohol in the first place (to oxidize up) than it is to split a triglyceride.
And that capital is a sunk cost.
I don't think the proposed application makes much sense.
But, it's an interesting curiosity.

[NNadir]

30. Thanks. Invariably, when we have a post like this one on DU, the comments can get depressing.

It seems like a large segment of the population doesn't understand that electricity is not a primary form of energy and that it doesn't appear like magic out of nowhere.

If you look in this thread however, there are several posts that seem not to grasp this.

To have any chance at addressing the increasingly profound energy related environmental issues, I feel like citizens should have at least a primitive understanding of thermodynamics.

How hard is it to understand that energy is conserved, that it doesn't just "show up" and run your car?

How hard is it to understand that when you drop an egg on the floor and it shatters, it never spontaneously reassembles and gets back on the table?

My son, now in graduate school, tells me that the entropy demonstrations I gave him in Elementary School sucked, but he remembers them and at least he knew since he was a little kid that entropy existed.

Call me a snob, but I don't think anyone should graduate from high school without having at least that level of knowledge, that entropy exists.

[ProfessorGAC]

31. "Things Fall Apart, It's Scientific"

Courtesy of David Byrne!

[lapfog_1]

34. All pales to insignificance when compared to the impending heat death of the universe.

[Marthe48]

4. Why am I thinking about Tommyknockers?

n/t

[Bayard]

14. This

[world wide wally]

7. Is this something small enough it that could be used in cars?

A car that runs for an indefinite period of time without recharging would be HUGE.

[KS Toronado]

10. I've often wondered why auto manufacturers

wouldn't include an onboard generator to increase range. Like turning a driveshaft into a generator.

[alfredo]

12. They use several types of generators to charge batteries while driving.

This one uses a flywheel, Formula 1 cars use ultra capacitors.

[KS Toronado]

15. Thanks, learned something today.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

21. Our car gives you a grade on your braking.

Brake too fast and you lose potential recaptured energy to your brake pads in the form of heat.

Gradual braking recaptures the most energy.

One of our cars has a paddle on the steering wheel for re-generative braking.

The next 10 years in the automotive industry is going to be really exciting.

[alfredo]

32. I'm a big Formula 1 fan, so I learned about KERS when it was introduced

200mph on city streets

[NNadir]

17. It's called a hybrid car. n/t.

[MyOwnPeace]

9. The RepubliQans' Oil Buddies

ain't gonna' like this!

[turbinetree]

11. Acetonitrile

Acetonitrile is a toxic, colorless liquid with an ether-like odor and a sweet, burnt taste. It is an extremely dangerous substance and must be handled with caution as it can cause severe health effects and/or death.

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/molecule-of-the-week/archive/a/acetonitrile.html

[Wounded Bear]

13. Kind of like the sulphuric acid in your car battery?

[Warpy]

24. Not like battery acid

which makes its presence known immediately. Acetonitrile metabolizes to hydriogen cyanide, a reaction that can be delayed up to 12 hours. "Oh, I just picked up a leaky cell with bare hands and ate my sandwich, no big deal, I feel fine," until you don't.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. Sulfuric Is A Lesser Inhalation Hazard

The inherent toxicity is somewhat lower because it doesn't change to more toxic substances upon breakdown. Sulfuric, at battery acid concentration, has more immediate contact hazard than acetonitrile, for sure. But, dermal absorption is worse for the latter.
But, mostly because its vapor pressure, compared to acetonitrile is extremely low.
So, the presence of it in air is far, far lower under any conditions.
That said, people do deal with toxic substances all the time.
#1 on that list is gasoline! Everybody deals with that from time to time. And, gasoline is an inhalation, contact & consumption hazard.

[truthisfreedom]

16. I'm personally ahead of the curve

I’ve been immersing myself in alcohol for decades!

Wait, what was the question?

[Warpy]

22. Interesting. Trust MIT to make it look like it's made of Legos.

It would be nice if they could find a solvent that's less toxic than acetonitrile.

[dickthegrouch]

23. Seems fairly obvious in hindsight.

The human body creates electrical impulses somehow for the brain and nervous systems. AFAIK we don’t have anything other than liquid flowing over carbon and calcium to generate it.

[jmowreader]

36. It sounds like somewhere between "battery" and "fuel cell" to me

But they will have to find a slightly less hazardous solvent than acetonitrile if they want to commercialize this.

[Hortensis]

37. "It means you don't have to put the energy storage on board," he says.

What we like about this mechanism is that you can take the energy, at least in part, from the environment. ... Speaking about someday using this to power micro- or nanoscale robots. .... The idea of being able to scavenge energy from the environment to power these kinds of robots is appealing,...".

Doesn't exactly have to be kitchen fusion to sound promising and worthwhile.