Nanoscale Energy Transport And Harvesting

Energy transport and conversion in nanoscale structures is a rapidly expanding area of science. It looks set to make a significant impact on human life and, with numerous commercial developments emerging, will become a major academic topic over the coming years. Owing to the difficulty in experimental measurement, computational simulation has become a powerful tool in the study of nanoscale energy transport and harvesting. This book provides an introduction to the current computational technology and discusses the applications of nanostructures in renewable energy and the associated research topics. It will be useful for theorists, experimentalists, and graduate-level students who want to explore this new field of research. The book addresses the currently used computational technologies and their applications in study of nanoscale energy transport and conversion. With content relevant to both academic and commercial viewpoints, it will interest researchers and postgraduates as well as consultants in the renewable energy industry.

A valuable reference for researchers in physics, materials, mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as graduate students, Nanoscale Energy Transport provides a comprehensive and insightful review of this developing topic. The text covers new developments in the scientific basis and the practical relevance of nanoscale energy transport, highlighting the emerging effects at the nanoscale that qualitatively differ from those at the macroscopic scale.

With its inclusion of the fundamentals, systems and applications, this reference provides readers with the basics of micro energy conversion along with expert knowledge on system electronics and real-life microdevices. The authors address different aspects of energy harvesting at the micro scale with a focus on miniaturized and microfabricated devices. Along the way they provide an overview of the field by compiling knowledge on the design, materials development, device realization and aspects of system integration, covering emerging technologies, as well as applications in power management, energy storage, medicine and low-power system electronics. In addition, they survey the energy harvesting principles based on chemical, thermal, mechanical, as well as hybrid and nanotechnology approaches. In unparalleled detail this volume presents the complete picture -- and a peek into the future -- of micro-powered microsystems.

Transport Phenomena in Micro- and Nanoscale Functional Materials and Devices offers a pragmatic view on transport phenomena for micro- and nanoscale materials and devices, both as a research tool and as a means to implant new functions in materials. Chapters emphasize transport properties (TP) as a research tool at the micro/nano level and give an experimental view on underlying techniques. The relevance of TP is highlighted through the interplay between a micro/nanocarrier's characteristics and media characteristics: long/short-range order and disorder excitations, couplings, and in energy conversions. Later sections contain case studies on the role of transport properties in functional nanomaterials. This includes transport in thin films and nanostructures, from nanogranular films, to graphene and 2D semiconductors and spintronics, and from read heads, MRAMs and sensors, to nano-oscillators and energy conversion, from figures of merit, micro-coolers and micro-heaters, to spincaloritronics. Presents a pragmatic description of electrical transport phenomena in micro- and nanoscale materials and devices from an experimental viewpoint Provides an in-depth overview of the experimental techniques available to measure transport phenomena in micro- and nanoscale materials Features case studies to illustrate how each technique works Highlights emerging areas of interest in micro- and nanomaterial transport phenomena, including spintronics

In this Brief, authors introduce the advance in theoretical and experimental techniques for determining the thermal conductivity in nanomaterials, and focus on review of their recent theoretical studies on the thermal properties of silicon–based nanomaterials, such as zero–dimensional silicon nanoclusters, one–dimensional silicon nanowires, and graphenelike two–dimensional silicene. The specific subject matters covered include: size effect of thermal stability and phonon thermal transport in spherical silicon nanoclusters, surface effects of phonon thermal transport in silicon nanowires, and defects effects of phonon thermal transport in silicene. The results obtained are supplemented by numerical calculations, presented as tables and figures. The potential applications of these findings in nanoelectrics and thermoelectric energy conversion are also discussed. In this regard, this Brief represents an authoritative, systematic, and detailed description of the current status of phonon thermal transport in silicon–based nanomaterials. This Brief should be a highly valuable reference for young scientists and postgraduate students active in the fields of nanoscale thermal transport and silicon-based nanomaterials.

This book highlights recent advances in quantum control technologies with regard to hybrid quantum systems. It addresses the following topics: phonon engineering based on phononic crystals, carbon-based nano materials like graphene and nanotubes, Terahertz light technology for single-molecule and quantum dots, nuclear-spin-based metrology for semiconductor quantum systems, quantum anomalous Hall effect in magnetic topological insulators, chiral three-dimensional photonic crystals, and bio-inspired magnonic systems. Each topic, as a component in the framework of hybrid quantum systems, is concisely presented by experts at the forefront of the field. Accordingly, the book offers a valuable asset, and will help readers find advanced technologies and materials suitable for their purposes.

Nanoscale materials and structures have attracted great attention in recent years because of their unique physical and chemical properties and potential use in energy transport and conversion. This book puts the subject into context by first looking at current synthesis methods for nanomaterials, from the bottom-up and top-down methods, followed by enhanced energy conversion efficiency at the nanoscale and then specific applications e.g. photovoltaic cells and nanogenerators. This authoritative and comprehensive book will be of interest to both the existing scientific community in this field, as well as for new people who wish to enter it.

Thermal Transport in Carbon-Based Nanomaterials describes the thermal properties of various carbon nanomaterials and then examines their applications in thermal management and renewable energy. Carbon nanomaterials include: one-dimensional (1D) structures, like nanotubes; two-dimensional (2D) crystal lattice with only one-atom-thick planar sheets, like graphenes; composites based on carbon nanotube or graphene, and diamond nanowires and thin films. In the past two decades, rapid developments in the synthesis and processing of carbon-based nanomaterials have created a great desire among scientists to gain a greater understanding of thermal transport in these materials. Thermal properties in nanomaterials differ significantly from those in bulk materials because the characteristic length scales associated with the heat carriers, phonons, are comparable to the characteristic length. Carbon nanomaterials with high thermal conductivity can be applied in heat dissipation. This looks set to make a significant impact on human life and, with numerous commercial developments emerging, will become a major academic topic over the coming years. This authoritative and comprehensive book will be of great use to both the existing scientific community in this field, as well as for those who wish to enter it. Includes coverage of the most important and commonly adopted computational and experimental methods to analyze thermal properties in carbon nanomaterials Contains information about the growth of carbon nanomaterials, their thermal properties, and strategies to control thermal properties and applications, allowing readers to assess how to use each material most efficiently Offers a comprehensive overview of the theoretical background behind thermal transport in carbon nanomaterials