
MIT researchers develop sun-free photovoltaics - danteembermage
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/sun-free-photovoltaics-0728.html
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Wilduck
It was this line that got me:

> Based on that technology, MIT researchers have made a button-sized power
> generator fueled by butane that can run three times longer than a lithium-
> ion battery of the same weight; the device can then be recharged instantly,
> just by snapping in a tiny cartridge of fresh fuel.

There seems to be tons of awesome applications for such a technology. The
first one that comes to mind is electronics for camping. You could have your
mp3 player for your week long backpacking trip.

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stephth
It's the line that followed that really got me: _Another device, powered by a
radioisotope that steadily produces heat from radioactive decay, could
generate electricity for 30 years without refueling or servicing._

If that can be made safe, we're talking about devices that are self
sufficient, under any conditions. Sounds like science fiction.

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dexen
Actually radioisotope-powered artificial pacemakers [1] has been used
commercially for some two decades now, even if they aren't very popular.

The technology of generating electricity from heat was somewhat different, but
the technicalities of making small nuclear devices safe for Joe Average to
just carry around in his chest are solved.

Welcome to the future, please fasten your seatbelts :^)

\----

[1] [http://duckduckgo.com/?q=radioisotope+artificial+pacemaker&#...</a>

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ramidarigaz
Any idea what the power output of these things is? I didn't see any
information in the article. If they can compete with li-ion in
Watts/current/whatever, consider me sold.

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pyre
Seems inefficient to convert heat -> light -> electricity, though I freely
admit to only having a cursory understanding here.

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mhb
More inefficient than heat -> steam -> mechanical motion -> electricity?

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ChuckMcM
Spot on.

Heat -> electricity

beats

heat -> mechanical motion -> electricity.

That being said, I've yet to find the paper on the microreactor they are using
from the Microsystems Technology Lab [1] perhaps it will come out in the 2011
annual report.

One fascinating use proposed for these is to power monitoring systems for
high-level radioactive waste using the heat generated by said waste.

Personally I'd love to have something I could put on my dashboard that would
power a fan to circulate air through my car while it was parked in the bright
sunlight.

[1] <http://www-mtl.mit.edu/wpmu/annualreport/?cat=6>

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pyre

      Spot on.
      Heat -> electricity
      beats
      heat -> mechanical motion -> electricity.
    

But this is heat -> light -> electricity. Unless you are claiming that the
conversion from heat -> light and light -> electricity is lossless.

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padobson
Really freaking cool, but I hear about some awesome new energy technology out
of MIT every week. Any ETA on when they start using this in......anything?

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aidenn0
My rule of thumb for stuff like this is minimum 3 years and generally 5-10
years. It has so-far seemed to be true just from about 20 years of reading
about cool new technology X.

