Journal Entry #6: Power Felt

Newspaper article: Recharge Your Cell Phone With a Touch? New Nanotechnology Converts Body Heat Into Power
Article by: ScienceDaily

http://images.sciencedaily.com/2012/02/120222092916-large.jpg

Summary of the Article

A new thermoelectric device called Power Felt, converts heat into electrical energy. This device was developed by researchers at Wake Forest University. The Power Felt is made to feel like fabric, but it is actually made up of carbon nanotubes and plastic fibers. The potential uses for it include collecting heat under roofs to lower heating costs, lining automobile seats to help boost battery power and things like the radio and navigations systems in the car, and more. It could also be used to recharge a cell phone and make an emergency call, or to power a flash light. Currently the power output is 140 nanowatts, and the research team is working on adding more nanotube layers to increase the power output. More work needs to be done on the Power Felt before it is ready for the market, however one researcher says that “it's definitely within reach.”

Analysis

The article focuses in the possible uses of the Power Felt rather than how it works so most people should be able to understand the article without much scientific knowledge. The article is somewhat biased because it attempts to reduce the disadvantages of the device. An example of this would be “researchers say it can cost $1,000 per kilogram … they liken Power Felt's affordability to demand in volume and think someday it could cost only $1.”

Thoughts and Opinion

Based on the fact that the Power Felt makes only about 140 nanowatts of power, I am pretty sure that it is not going to be ready for the market anytime soon. I think this because the power output is too small in order for it to be cost effective. Other than being cost effective, after more work is done on this device, it could possibly allow us to use wasted heat energy in parts of our daily lives, for example body heat or wasted heat under the roof. It also could enhance solar power, since we would be able to use both the light and heat energy radiated from the sun. However, this all depends on increasing the efficiency of the device and since research and development takes time, it could take a few years for the Power Felt to be usable. This article could have been better if it went more in detail about how this thermoelectric device works, because after reading this article, I have questions regarding the science behind this device.

Since I wanted to know more about thermoelectric devices, I looked it up and found a Wikipedia article on “Thermoelectric Effect.” From this article I learned that the thermoelectric effect is the conversion of differences in temperatures into electric voltage and electric voltage into temperature differences. The article goes in depth with detailed information and equations for the three main effects that are categorized as thermoelectric effects. I was unable to understand most of the in depth information about theses sub-effects, however I found out that the Seedbeck effect is how the Power Felt works. This is because the Seedbeck effect is the conversion of differences in temperature directly into electricity, whereas the Peltier and Thomson effect have to do with heat or temperature differences created by electricity.

"Recharge Your Cell Phone With a Touch? New Nanotechnology Converts Body Heat Into Power." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120222092916.htm>.

"Thermoelectric Effect." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect>.