Atomically Thin Nano wires Convert Heat To Electricity More Efficiently

Getting the Best out of Atomically Thin Nano Wires

Researchers at Birmingham University have discovered a way to enhance the efficiency of Themorelectric wires by reducing their size and when I mean reducing their size I really mean it. These Atomically Thin Nano wires are just an atom thin and supposedly this thinness gives it a higher efficiency than when the material is used at its normal size.

Heat can be converted into electricity more efficiently than before with these atomically thin nano wires. This means that a lot more electricity will be generated from the same amount of heat. Not only will you get more electricity with less heat but also the discovery of atomically thin nano wires will open up new opportunities in the field of renewable energy.

Use of Thermoelectric materials in atomically thin nano wires:

Thermoelectric materials are much sought after as a renewable and environmentally friendly source of energy because of their properties of converting waste heat into electricity.

Researchers have discovered that by shaping this material into atomically thin nano- wires then you could get the best out of them- that is maximum efficiency in converting waste heat into electricity. These atomically thin wires open up doors in creating sustainable energy.

How was the atomically thin nano wires discovered?

Scientists were conducting research into the crystallization of tin telluride in very thin nanotubes to help the material crystallize in their lowest dimensional form, when they discovered the increased efficiency of thermoelectric materials in atomically thin nano- wires.

In a joint theoretical as well as experimental research, scientists were able to not only establish a direct relation between the template and the resulting atomically thin nano wire size but also found out how this technique could be used to regulate thermoelectric efficiency of tin telluride formed into atomically thin nano- wires.

Unlike thermoelectric wires in three dimensional form, the atomically thin nano wires are able to conduct less heat and produce more electricity at the same time. This property of thermoelectric materials in atomically thin nano- wires yield a higher efficiency in converting heat to electricity than their three dimensional form.

The use of super computers and quantum mechanical programs have helped scientists predict the structures of these atomically thin nano- wires as well as their properties. Some scientists have also said that by discovering the abilities of these atomically thin nano- wires that we are really moving into the realms of “Picowires”.

New Opportunities for atomically thin nano wires:

Scientists have said that after having discovered the efficiency of atomically thin nano wires in generating electricity, this opens up new opportunities in the fields of thermoelectric generators.

Scientists are also looking for alternative materials to thermoelectric materials which are non- toxic and perform to the same level of efficiency like thermoelectric atomically thin nano- wires and maybe even more.

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An Artificial Nerve System Developed at Stanford Gives Prosthetic Devices Sense of Touch

Artificial nerve System to give a Sense of Touch to Prosthetic Devices and Robots

A new artificial nerve system developed by researchers in Seoul and Stanford can give the feeling of being touched to a person with prosthetics or even a robot for that matter. This nerve system can mimic the twitch reflex commonly seen in cockroaches and also with this artificial nerve you can identify letters in braille.

Right now researchers have only created an artificial nerve, while this may be the first step, the second involves making entire skin that will give the sensation of feel to amputees, people with prosthetic and to take things a bit further to robots too, to give them some form of reflex on being touched and sensing that touch.

Understanding the skin and its workings:

We not only use our skin for feeling things but it is much more than that. We not only feel, but the skin also signals, and makes decisions all the time based on the feel sensation. In making the artificial nerve system, researchers can now focus on making this artificial nerve system into a smart sensory network that not only knows how to transmit pleasant sensations but also to learn when to pass on messages to muscles so that they can react accordingly.

How was the artificial nerve system made?

The whole point in making an artificial nerve system was that it could be placed under future skin- like covering for prosthetics and robots so that it would give the feeling of touch to amputees and robots alike.

The artificial nerve system is composed of three integrated parts that work together to create the artificial nerve system. The first component is a touch sensor that sends even minuscule touch signals to a second component which is a flexible electronic neuron. This second component in turn stimulates a third component known as the artificial synaptic transistor which replicates the synapses in humans.

These synapses are used to store data and relay signals in humans and work much in the same way as this in an artificial nerve system. To illustrate the working of three components researchers give the example of a knee.

When the knee is tapped, the knee muscles stretch, the sensors in these muscles send an impulse to the neuron, the neuron in turn sends the necessary signals to the synapses. This synaptic network then understands the pattern of stretch and emits two signals one to contract the knee and the other to the brain to register the sensation.

At present the artificial nerve system has not reached this level of complexity but scientists are well on their way to doing so.

Demonstrations of the artificial nerve system on a cockroach:

In an experiment, scientists hooked up the artificial nerve system to a cockroach leg and delivered tiny increments of pressure to the touch sensor, The electronic neuron then converted the signal into a digital signal and relayed the signal to the synaptic transistor which in turn caused the leg to twitch more or less vigorously as the pressure on the touch sensor increased or decreased.

 

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