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Continued use of electronic devices for longer periods of time can cause them to overheat, resulting in component damage, slow operation, or even exploding or catching fire.
The heat produced by electronics does more than annoy users. Heat induced gaps and cracks can cause chips and circuits to fail.
Now scientists have developed a way to not only control heat but also to move it away from delicate devices.
Scientists have developed a hydrogel that can cool electronic components, such as cell phone batteries, and convert waste heat to electricity.
The hydrogel consists of a polyacrylamide structure infused with water and specific ions.
During the tests, the scientists heated the hydrogel. Two of the ions (ferricyanide and ferrocyanide) transferred electrons between electrodes, generating electricity.
Meanwhile, the water inside the hydrogel evaporated, cooling it down. After use, the hydrogel was regenerated by absorbing water from the surrounding air.
To demonstrate the new material, scientists hooked it up to a cell phone battery during rapid discharge. Some of the residual heat was converted to five μW of electricity, and the battery temperature decreased by 68 F. The reduced working temperature ensures safe operation of the battery, and the harvested electricity is sufficient to monitor the battery or control the system Cooling. .
Magazine reference:
- The document summary will be available April 22 at 8 a.m. EST here: DOI: 10.1021 / acs.nanolett.0c00800
