MENU

Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > How to make mobile batteries last longer by controlling energy flows at nano-level

Abstract:
Electronic devices waste a lot of energy by producing useless heat. This is one of the main reasons our mobiles use up battery power so quickly. Researchers at University of Luxembourg have made a leap forward in understanding how this happens and how this waste could be reduced by controlling energy flows at a molecular level. This would make our technology cheaper to run and more durable.

How to make mobile batteries last longer by controlling energy flows at nano-level

Luxembourg | Posted on November 6th, 2014

Until now, scientists had just an average view of energy conversion efficiency in nano-devices. For the first time, a more complete picture has been described thanks to University of Luxembourg research. "We discovered universal properties about the way energy efficiency of nano-systems fluctuates," explained Prof. Massimiliano Esposito of Luxembourg University's Physics and Materials research unit. Using this knowledge it will be possible to control energy flows more accurately, so cutting waste.

These energy controls could be achieved by a technological regulator which would prevent the natural process whereby heat generated in one part of a device is lost as it spreads to cooler areas. In other words, this adds interesting nuances to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, one of the fundamental theories in physics. This theoretical understanding of how to regulate of energy flows brings to life "Maxwell's demon", a notion introduced by the major 19th Century mathematician and physicist James Clerk Maxwell. He imagined that this "demon" could overturn the laws of nature by allowing cold particles to flow towards hot areas.

Two recent papers published in highly respected scientific journals (Physical Review X and Nature Communications) describe these findings. The research team under Prof. Esposito used mathematical models to arrive at these conclusions. These ideas will be put into practice in the laboratory before any eventual practical technological applications are developed.

####

About Université du Luxembourg
The University of Luxembourg, founded in 2003, is multilingual, international and strongly focused on research. Its students and staff have chosen a modern institution with a personal atmosphere, close to the European institutions, international companies and the financial place Luxembourg. Teaching, research and knowledge transfer at the highest international level are the goals that this university set from the start. With 180 professors, associate professors and senior lecturers from 20 countries, 5000 students from 95 countries, as well as partnerships in Europe and overseas, the University offers a multicultural environment.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Sophie Kolb
sophie.kolb@uni.lu

Copyright © AlphaGalileo

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

The full scientific articles “Thermodynamics with continuous information flow” as published in “Physical Review X” (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.4.031015) and “The unlikely Carnot efficiency” as published in “Nature Communications” (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5721) can be viewed here:

and here:

Jordan M. Horowitz, Massimiliano Esposito. "Thermodynamics with Continuous Information Flow". Physical Review X, Volume 4, Page 031015, 28-Jul-2014. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.4.031015

Gatien Verley, Massimiliano Esposito, Tim Willaert & Christian Van den Broeck. “The unlikely Carnot efficiency”. Nature Communications 5, Article number: 4721, 16-Jul-2014. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5721

Related News Press

News and information

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Chip Technology

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Development of 'transparent stretchable substrate' without image distortion could revolutionize next-generation displays Overcoming: Poisson's ratio enables fully transparent, distortion-free, non-deformable display substrates February 28th, 2025

New ocelot chip makes strides in quantum computing: Based on "cat qubits," the technology provides a new way to reduce quantum errors February 28th, 2025

Discoveries

Lattice-driven charge density wave fluctuations far above the transition temperature in Kagome superconductor April 25th, 2025

An earth-abundant mineral for sustainable spintronics: Iron-rich hematite, commonly found in rocks and soil, turns out to have magnetic properties that make it a promising material for ultrafast next-generation computing April 25th, 2025

HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025

Nanophotonic platform boosts efficiency of nonlinear-optical quantum teleportation April 25th, 2025

Announcements

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Nanophotonic platform boosts efficiency of nonlinear-optical quantum teleportation April 25th, 2025

Quantum sensors tested for next-generation particle physics experiments: New research shows that the specialized sensors can detect particles more precisely April 25th, 2025

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Energy

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

KAIST researchers introduce new and improved, next-generation perovskite solar cell​ November 8th, 2024

Unveiling the power of hot carriers in plasmonic nanostructures August 16th, 2024

Groundbreaking precision in single-molecule optoelectronics August 16th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project