How are nanomaterials used for the emission-free energy of the future?

The German-American company Neutrino® Energy Group has found a graphene-based nanomaterial.

This material converts the energy of the thermal Brownian motion of graphene atoms in their surrounding radiation fields of the invisible spectrum – including the flux of neutrinos – into electricity.

In recent years, numerous groups of scientists around the world have studied the properties of graphene for its applications. The growing interest in this material is due to its unique properties such as high electrical and thermal conductivity, strength and hydrophobicity, which open up wide prospects for the use of graphene in various industries.

One of the most important directions for the introduction of graphene is the energy industry, which rightly includes not only ways of generating energy but also energy storage systems, which take on particular importance in the transition from traditional to alternative energy. The use of graphene in batteries increases their specific capacity many times over, multiplying the mileage of an electric car on a single charge, and also allows the battery to be charged quickly.

A much more important role, however, is played by the use of graphene directly in generating electricity. Research in this direction is being pursued intensively in many countries. The German mathematician Holger Thorsten Schubart was the first to announce the possibility of creating electrical energy sources with graphene as the basic element. More than ten years ago he showed that graphene can convert the thermal Brownian motion of atoms and the surrounding radiation fields of the invisible spectrum into electric current. On the basis of findings from practical experience and laboratory experiments, he and a group of scientists from a German-American company invented an electricity-generating multilayer nanomaterial consisting of alternating layers of graphene and doped silicon, applied from the vapour phase onto a metal foil.

It is worth mentioning that graphene has also been studied extensively by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. Their successes, however, are more modest compared with the results achieved by the Neutrino Energy Group’s scientists. MIT’s research focuses on converting terahertz wave energy into direct electric current. These high-frequency radiation waves, called “T-rays”, are produced by almost anything that registers a temperature, including our own bodies and inanimate objects around us. Every device that emits a Wi-Fi signal also emits terahertz waves – electromagnetic waves with a frequency between microwaves and infrared light. “We are surrounded by electromagnetic waves in the terahertz range,” says lead author Hiroki Isobe, a postdoc at the MIT Materials Research Laboratory. “If we can convert that energy into an energy source we can use in daily life, that would help address the energy challenges we are facing right now.”

Unlike at MIT, the Neutrino Energy Group’s research is not limited to a single impact factor for graphene but is much broader and more application-oriented. It makes use of one property of graphene – the increased fluctuations of its atoms compared with other materials. In addition, graphene, which belongs to the 2D materials, can only exist stably if it behaves like a 3D material. This property is due to the peculiarities of its crystal lattice, which consists of one plane with hexagonal cells, i.e. it is a two-dimensional hexagonal crystal lattice. For this reason, the vibrations of the graphene atoms cause “graphene waves”, whose frequency and amplitude depend on the influence of the surrounding radiation fields and heat flows. “Graphene waves” are observed under a high-resolution microscope.

Holger Thorsten Schubart states: “The more factors influence the frequency and amplitude of the vibrations of graphene atoms, the more stable the power sources based on the material developed. The strength of the vibrations of graphene atoms is influenced by neutrinos, antineutrinos, electromagnetic fields at the location of the power sources, temperature and terahertz waves. Because of the many influences on the size of the vibrations of the graphene atoms, it is currently difficult to determine with 100% accuracy the share of one factor or another in the power output. Studies were carried out on the contribution of neutrino particles specifically to power generation. For this purpose, the tested A4-size energy plate was completely isolated from all electromagnetic influences except neutrinos, which was achieved by housing it in a Faraday cage in a concrete bunker more than 30 m below ground. Under these conditions, the electrical measuring device constantly registered an output of 2.5–3.0 W.”

Holger Thorsten Schubart • President of the Neutrino® Energy Group

The mechanism by which neutrinos interact with matter was revealed by the published results of the COHERENT experiments at the Oak Ridge Laboratory (USA), which proved that low-energy neutrinos take part in weak interactions with the nuclei of matter. A similar model of the interaction of neutrinos of any energy, but having mass, with graphene atoms can be used as a theoretical basis for converting the kinetic energy of neutrinos into direct electric current.

The stability of the Neutrino Energy Group’s power sources, regardless of weather conditions and the time of day or year, offers undeniable advantages over generating electricity from sun and wind. The fact that the power-generating plates are stacked on top of each other like a pile of writing paper also ensures that the power sources are compact and can be placed directly where the electricity is consumed, including inside electrical devices and installations within the building, so that no connection to central power lines is required.

At present, 1 m³ of material delivers about 36 kW at a room temperature of 23.7 °C. A set of densely packed – i.e. connected in series – compressed plates forms an energy module, and connecting the energy modules in series and/or parallel provides the required performance characteristics of the power sources.

One of the most important applications of neutrinovoltaic technology in the near future could be in the automotive industry, especially in electric vehicles. Developing an electric vehicle with power sources integrated into the body offers a solution to current problems, namely:

• no need to build an extensive infrastructure to charge them
• no need to build additional power generation plants to compensate for the charging capacity of electric vehicles
• the possibility of using small batteries, which reduces the need for scarce and expensive materials and also reduces the environmental impact of recycling used batteries

The Neutrino Energy Group has concluded licence agreements for the production of energy sources with a number of large manufacturers in various countries. The first commercial production of Neutrino Power Cubes power sources with a capacity of 5–10 kWh will begin in Switzerland. In addition, a contract was concluded with the Indian institute C-MET to develop a body for a Pi electric vehicle made of metamaterial with integrated power sources based on neutrinovoltaics. The initial investment in the project was 2.5 billion dollars.

Although the properties of graphene have only been researched for a relatively short time, it has already proved to be a promising material for alternative energy needs, opening up new possibilities for humanity on the way out of fossil fuels – and the first example of its use in practice is the best proof of this.

The Neutrino Energy Group

The Neutrino Energy Group is a German-American research group. Its aim is to find ways to harness the power of the invisible radiation spectrum. As fossil fuels are limited and climate change requires the development of alternative and CO2-neutral energy sources, this research group is dedicated to an urgent problem. It has succeeded in creating a dense substance that can interact in a specific way with neutrinos and other invisible radiation. This unique substance is used to build the first neutrino photovoltaic cells for power generation. Vapour-deposited layers of silicon and doped graphene are applied to the carrier layer to make the end product. The thickness of these layers is in the nanometre range. When neutrinos and other invisible radiation strike this substance, they generate both horizontal and vertical impulses. It is crucial that the doped materials have the right layer thickness. At the optimum layer thickness, the atomic vibrations caused by the impulses are brought into resonance. As a result, an electric current can be detected in the substrate material. The hypothesis states that the amount of energy that can be harvested depends on the distance travelled in the process. With this approach it will soon be possible to charge electrical devices anywhere in the world without needing a socket or a cable. Simply “collecting” energy from the environment is a viable option. As a result, humanity will have access to an endless supply of clean energy, which will help to slow or halt global warming.

The Neutrino® Energy Group works with a worldwide team of scientists and various international research centres. They research applications for converting invisible radiation spectra of the sun, including neutrinos – high-energy particles that reach the Earth incessantly and can be converted into electrical energy.

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