MIT generates Electricity from Carbon Nanotubes

Why in News ?

• MIT engineers have discovered a new way of generating electricity using carbon nanotubes. A new material made up of carbon nanotubes has potential to generate electricity by collecting energy from its environment.

How electricity is generated ?

• These micro carbon particles can create current by interacting with liquid around them.
• Liquid, an organic solvent, attracts electrons out of the nanoparticles, which generates current.
• This current can be used to drive chemical reactions or to power micro or nanoscale robots.
• This electric current can also be used to drive a reaction known as alcohol oxidation.

Properties of discovery

This discovery grew out of research on carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are hollow tubes made of lattice of carbon atoms. These tubes have unique electrical properties. Potential of carbon nanotubes to generate thermopower waves was demonstrated way back in 2010. When Carbon nanotube is coated with layer of fuel, moving pulses of heat or thermopower waves travelling along tube generates electrical current.