There are many ways in which the energy around us can be stored, converted, and developed for use. Energy exists in two basic types: potential energy, including chemical, elastic, gravitational, and nuclear energies, and kinetic energy, including heat, electrical, and electromagnetic energies. It is often necessary to convert one type of energy to another type or other types of energy. However, human engineering and nature take very different paths to complete such conversion processes. This paper discusses the similarities and dissimilarities of energy conversion processes that are taken by nature and human engineering. One might notice that energy conversion efficiency in biological systems is often higher than what human engineering can offer. As an attempt to mimic nature’s way of energy conversion on the nanoscale, our experiment indicates that nanocatalytic particles can convert chemical energy directly to thermal energy without conventional high-temperature gas-phase combustion and without the traditional ignition process. Furthermore, we have converted chemical energy to thermal energy and thermal energy to electrical energy on semiconductor materials, an achievement that raises the possibility of constructing a new class of nano-thermoelectric power generation systems.
Skip Nav Destination
2007 First International Conference on Integration and Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems
January 10–13, 2007
Sanya, Hainan, China
Conference Sponsors:
- Nanotechnology Institute
ISBN:
0-7918-4265-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Nanoscale Energy Conversion and Its Applications
Zhiyu Hu
Zhiyu Hu
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhiyu Hu
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
Paper No:
MNC2007-21446, pp. 909-915; 7 pages
Published Online:
June 8, 2009
Citation
Hu, Z. "Nanoscale Energy Conversion and Its Applications." Proceedings of the 2007 First International Conference on Integration and Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems. First International Conference on Integration and Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems, Parts A and B. Sanya, Hainan, China. January 10–13, 2007. pp. 909-915. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/MNC2007-21446
Download citation file:
12
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Performance Improvements in Cooker-Top Gas Burners for Small Aspect Ratio Changes
J. Thermal Sci. Eng. Appl (December,2017)
Effect of Heat Treatment on the Combustion Characteristics of a Lignite
J. Energy Resour. Technol (July,2019)
Modeling of the Convective Thermal Ignition Process of Solid Fuel Particles
J. Heat Transfer (November,1990)
Related Chapters
Physiology of Human Power Generation
Design of Human Powered Vehicles
Historical Development of the Windmill
Wind Turbine Technology: Fundamental Concepts in Wind Turbine Engineering, Second Edition
Scope of Section I, Organization, and Service Limits
Power Boilers: A Guide to the Section I of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Second Edition