Physicists Build Circuit That Generates Clean, Limitless Power From Graphene

Physicists Build Circuit That Generates Clean, Limitless Power From Graphene A team of University of Arkansas physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene's thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current...

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In the 1950s, physicist Léon Brillouin published a landmark paper refuting the idea that adding a single diode, a one-way electrical gate, to a circuit is the solution to harvesting energy from Brownian motion. Knowing this, Thibado’s group built their circuit with two diodes for converting AC into a direct current (DC). With the diodes in opposition allowing the current to flow both ways, they provide separate paths through the circuit, producing a pulsing DC current that performs work on a load resistor.

The idea of harvesting energy from graphene is controversial because it refutes physicist Richard Feynman’s well-known assertion that the thermal motion of atoms, known as Brownian motion, cannot do work. Thibado’s team found that at room temperature the thermal motion of graphene does in fact induce an alternating current (AC) in a circuit, an achievement thought to be impossible.

Clarke's 1st law: When a distinguished scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

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The team also discovered that the relatively slow motion of graphene induces current in the circuit at low frequencies, which is important from a technological perspective because electronics function more efficiently at lower frequencies. According to Kumar, the graphene and circuit share a symbiotic relationship. Though the thermal environment is performing work on the load resistor, the graphene and circuit are at the same temperature and heat does not flow between the two.

This is an important distinction, because a temperature difference between the graphene and circuit, in a circuit producing power, would contradict the second law of thermodynamics. “This means that the second law of thermodynamics is not violated, nor is there any need to argue that ‘Maxwell’s Demon’ is separating hot and cold electrons,” prof. Thibado said.

Right, it would violate 1st law of thermodynamics instead: as it generates energy without any thermal flux at the end.. See also:

• Fluctuation-induced current from freestanding graphene - see free ArXiv preprint (PDF))
• Anomalous Dynamical Behavior of Freestanding Graphene Membranes
• Graphite based thermoelectric generators
• Italian GQenergy s.r.l. presented version 2.0 of graphene based free energy generator
• Brownian Motion of Graphene: Potential Source of Limitless Energy at Room Temperature
• Diamagnetic graphite based motor
• Electricity can flow through graphene at high frequencies without energy lossNegative refraction of electrons spotted in graphene

In this sense it may be significant that graphite soaked with gasoline reportedly exhibits superconductivity (the rings made of mixture exhibit "eternal" diamagnetic currents which affect compass at distance) Steorn Orbo battery did also contain graphite-electret wax mixture - and wax is composed of hydrocarbons too. Their long molecules would embed itself between graphite layers and separate them at just right distance which would increase volume of Casimir vacuum residing there.

Casimir vacuum is characterized by Scharnhorst_effect: the time runs faster, so that temperature gets relatively lower there and the graphene layer can absorb heat from environment despite that bulk system looks isothermal at the first sight. And because both graphite, both wax are cheap materials, you probably already know, what you're supposed to do..;-) See also:

Can Nano-Materials Push Off the Vacuum? (PDF) The graphene/hydrocarbon/water mixture may be Casimir nanomaterial too and in addition to superconductivity or overunity it could also exhibit levitating properties, because violation of one fundamental law implies violation of another dependent ones...

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Graphene/hemathene electrodes in water idea

Maybe but galvanic effects can be always culprit of perceived surplus of energy. This applies particularly to graphite and copper covered iron electrodes, which would dissolve spontaneously into hydrogen in water.

First of all, sophisticated chips are for corporations - laymen people need simple robust device, which they could occasionally improvise itself. The practical importance of Thibaldo's findings is on theoretical side: it could help to convince both researchers, both investors, that this technology and physics behind it is real. For example this patent claims to achieve electricity generation with battery composed of graphite films suspended in PVA hydrogel of sodium silicate, where piezolectric SiO2 is formed - this is remarkably similar to many so-called crystal batteries utilizing powder graphite and piezoelectric salt as one of components.

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the power was 1.5 PICO watts. Paper is paywalled, but one of the figures shows this maximum value

The preprint is here and they talk about ~1 picoWatts from single STM tip diode at a tip-sample distance of 2 nm. This scales up to 10 picoWatts from 1µm², 10 µWatt from 1 mm² and 1 mWatt from 1 cm² - i.e. comparable with solar panels.

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In practice this is about harvesting thermal energy from surrounding air

An Omicron ultrahigh vacuum STM (base pressure 10-10 mbar) operated at room temperature was used.