Power density

About: Power density is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 9534 publications have been published within this topic receiving 197264 citations. The topic is also known as: volumic power & volume power density.

Cyclic energy harvesting from pyroelectric materials

Abstract: A method of continuously harvesting energy from pyroelectric materials is demonstrated using an innovative cyclic heating scheme. In traditional pyroelectric energy harvesting methods, static heating sources are used, and most of the available energy has to be harvested at once. A cyclic heating system is developed such that the temperature varies between hot and cold regions. Although the energy harvested during each period of the heating cycle is small, the accumulated total energy over time may exceed traditional methods. Three materials are studied: a commonly available soft lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a pre-stressed PZT composite, and single-crystal PMN-30PT. Radiation heating and natural cooling are used such that, at smaller cyclic frequencies, the temporal rate of change in temperature is large enough to produce high power densities. The maximum power density of 8.64 μW/cm3 is generated with a PMN-30PT single crystal at an angular velocity of 0.64 rad/s with a rate of 8.5°C/s. The pre-stressed PZT composite generated a power density of 6.31 μW/cm3, which is 40% larger than the density of 4.48 μW/cm3 obtained from standard PZT.

High-performance hybrid carbon nanotube fibers for wearable energy storage.

Abstract: Wearable energy storage devices are of practical interest, but few have been commercially exploited. Production of electrodes with extended cycle life, as well as high energy and power densities, coupled with flexibility, remains a challenge. Herein, we have demonstrated the development of a high-performance hybrid carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber-based supercapacitor for the first time using conventional wet-spinning processes. Manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoflakes were deposited onto the as-prepared CNT fibers by electrodeposition to form highly flexible nanocomposites fibers. As-prepared fibers were characterized by electron microscopy, electrical, mechanical, and electrochemical measurements. It was found that the specific capacitance was over 152 F g−1 (156 F cm−3), which is about 500% higher than the multi-walled carbon nanotube/MnO2 yarn-based supercapacitors. The measured energy density was 14.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 202 W kg−1. These values are 232% and 32% higher than the energy density and power density of MWNT/MnO2 yarn-based supercapacitor, respectively. It was found that the cyclic retention ability was more stable, revealing a 16% increase after 10 000 cycles. Such substantial enhancements of key properties of the hybrid material can be associated with the synergy of CNT and MnO2 nanoparticles in the fiber structure. The use of wet-spun hybrid CNT for fiber-based supercapacitors has been demonstrated.

A miniaturized microbial fuel cell with three-dimensional graphene macroporous scaffold anode demonstrating a record power density of over 10 000 W m−3

Abstract: A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-inspired renewable energy converter which directly converts biomass into electricity. This is accomplished via the unique extracellular electron transfer (EET) of a specific species of microbe called the exoelectrogen. Many studies have attempted to improve the power density of MFCs, yet the reported power density is still nearly two orders of magnitude lower than other power sources/converters. Such a low performance can primarily be attributed to two bottlenecks: (i) ineffective electron transfer from microbes located far from the anode and (ii) an insufficient buffer supply to the biofilm. This work takes a novel approach to mitigate these two bottlenecks by integrating a three-dimensional (3D) macroporous graphene scaffold anode in a miniaturized MFC. This implementation has delivered the highest power density reported to date in all MFCs of over 10,000 W m(-3). The miniaturized configuration offers a high surface area to volume ratio and improved mass transfer of biomass and buffers. The 3D graphene macroporous scaffold warrants investigation due to its high specific surface area, high porosity, and excellent conductivity and biocompatibility which facilitates EET and alleviates acidification in the biofilm. Consequently, the 3D scaffold houses an extremely thick and dense biofilm from the Geobacter-enriched culture, delivering an areal/volumetric current density of 15.51 A m(-2)/31,040 A m(-3) and a power density of 5.61 W m(-2)/11,220 W m(-3), a 3.3 fold increase when compared to its planar two-dimensional (2D) control counterparts.

Fourfold to threefold transition in diamondlike amorphous carbon films: A study of optical and electrical properties

Abstract: Hard, diamond‐like amorphous carbon films (a‐C) were prepared as a function of sputtering power density by employing dc planar magnetron sputtering of a graphite target in pure argon. Films deposited at 300 K and at increasing sputtering power density in the range 0.25–25 W cm−2 show a transition of optical and electrical properties, with the room temperature electrical conductivity increasing from 5×10−4 to 5 Ω−1 cm−1 and the optical gap decreasing from 0.74 to 0.40 eV. The imaginary part e2 of the complex dielectric function is determined in the photon energy range 0.5–7 eV and shows a clear dependence on sputtering power density. The e2 spectra for a a‐C films possess features typical of amorphous semiconductors. neff, the effective number of valence electrons per carbon atom taking part in optical transitions, is determined via a sum rule operation on e2. Comparisons of neff for each a‐C film with that for crystalline graphite allow the average coordination of the carbon atom to be determined. We observe a systematic four‐fold to three‐fold transition, with the ratio of carbon atoms having four‐fold sp3 configuration (diamond‐like) to carbon atoms with three‐fold sp2 configuration (graphite) varying from 3:1 to 1:1.