Leakage of heat from the working electronics are a serious problem. Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley have developed a film that when applied to working devices and mechanisms will capture and recycle waste heat.
Many existing systems of this type operate on the thermoelectric principle, producing electricity by the temperature difference between the two sides of the material. It is good when we are talking about devices like the JikoPower accumulating heat from the heated kitchen utensils and turns it into electricity to charge mobile phones. However JikoPower not effective at lower temperature difference.
A team of Berkeley strives to create a device that uses low quality waste heat with temperature below 100 °C. they Created the film works on the principle of pyroelectric energy conversion at much lower temperatures, which allows to use it effectively in electronic devices.
Scientists have created a prototype device that creates a thermal and electric field interacts with the film thickness from 50 to 100 nanometers. During the experiments failed to reach the energy density of 1.06 j/CC, the power density of 526 W/CC and the efficiency of the Carnot (thermodynamic when the system performs mechanical work by heat exchange) – 19 %.
According to scientists, all this says about the prospects of the new technology.
Source — University of California