Technology update
Jan 16, 2008
Nanowires convert heat to electricity
Silicon — a staple of modern electronics — could soon be used to make low-cost devices that convert waste heat to electricity. That is the bold future outlined by two independent teams of scientists in the US, who have shown that arrays of tiny silicon wires have extremely good "thermoelectric" properties. The findings could lead to the development of cheap thermoelectric materials that boost the efficiency of both massive coal-fired generators and tiny solar cells.
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