NANOPOROUS MATERIALS FOR USE IN THE CONVERSION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY AND/OR THERMAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY

摘要

The present invention generally relates to a method for using nanoporous materials (160) to convert mechanical motion and/or heat into electrical energy. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of a nanopore confinement effect that results from a fluid infiltrating a porous material (160) as a means to generating electrical energy. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of a nanopore confinement effect that results from a continuous solid phase infiltrating a porous material (160) as a means to generate electrical energy. In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of a thermoelectric effect that results from a fluid (150) infiltrating a porous material (160) as a means to generate electrical energy. In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of a thermoelectric effect that results from a continuous solid phase infiltrating a porous material (160) as a means to generate electrical energy. In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to applying the foregoing mechanoelectric effect or thermoelectric effect to high surface area (350, 352) and/or small-structured solids (360, 362) as a means of enhancing and/or supplementing otherwise inefficient and/or insufficient electrical energy generation.