Innovative Technologies Generate Electricity from Waste Heat, Air, and Plants.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a new device using gallium nitride nanopillars on silicon that significantly improves the conversion of heat into electricity. By growing nanopillars above a silicon membrane, NIST scientists and their colleagues have reduced heat conduction by 21% without reducing electrical conductivity, a result that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat energy into electrical energy. The silicon sheets could be wrapped around steam or exhaust pipes to convert heat emissions into electricity that could power nearby devices or be delivered to a power grid.