Comments on: Nanoantennas: Solar arrays that absorb energy even in the dark!!

By: Ramsey Frist

Ramsey Frist — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:12:52 +0000

Everything started at the big bang, space, time, and the physical laws. Ever since the entropy of the universe has been increasing and the 2nd Law of thermodynamics holds even at the quantum level. Not only can you not get energy for free but you cannot even break even. This proposed system cannot work in our universe.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:52:00 +0000

The thing is, the “laws” of thermodynamics don’t work at a quantum level. Otherwise the universe wouldn’t exist : the Big Bang defies the laws of thermodynamics.

There’s no known reason why entropy should always increase.

However, taking the long-term view, what these nantennae are providing is a temporary way to re-capture thermal energy emitted by warm bodies and convert it to electricity. No energy is being created; on the contrary, taking into account the energy lost during manufacturing, the overall entropy of the system does increase across the product’s lifetime.

By: Will

Will — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:42:28 +0000

Fantastic invention! This is what I dreamed of as a child, at 14yo. when I drew up plans for a solar car. In resurch, found that the first solar car rolled down Pennsylvania ave. and got burried by the government in 1918. The government, (I’m now 50), is still not smart enough to figure out how to make money out of the Sun, and now wants to use “clean burning coal”? Kudos to you, I want this technology to thrive.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:40:58 +0000

Have they tried the technology used on the new high tech batteries used at Phoenix motor cars.
http://www.b2i.us/profiles/investor/fullpage.asp?f=1&BzID=546&to=cp&Nav=0&LangID=1&s=0&ID=10701
If they can recharge a batter used in a car in ten minutes, there might be a way to tie the two together…
Once all the problems are solved on how to transfer the energy safely into the battery.

By: Ramsey Frist

Ramsey Frist — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:30:15 +0000

Dear WK, Why do you assume that I have no credentials. I hold a Ph.D. in Physical Biochemistry and I taught thermodynamics for 34 years.
Scientific laws are empirical based on observation. No one has ever observed an exception to the 2nd Law. Think about it, if it worked one would be able to use the same energy over an over, heat to electricity and back to heat after turning a motor or lighting a lamp. It will usher in a new world with new physical laws. I am betting that this nanoantenna thing will never work and the DOE wasted a lot of money that could have been spent on worthwhile research.

By: WK

WK — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:04:01 +0000

Ultra capacitors can handle high frequency, what the need is a fast recifier, this is the last step, they have to store this absorbed energy first.

By: WK

WK — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:18:55 +0000

If it’s the law of thernodynamics, then these top scientist will be stupid to waste their time and money, and you without any credentials dispute them. You are arguing high school physics with scientists.

By: protn7

protn7 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:08:30 +0000

The technoilogy is not really credible since no rectifier for the proper frequcny exists. With no rectifier the project cannot work.

By: Nick Butler

Nick Butler — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:09:55 +0000

Hey
What are you guys thinking!
This can stop global warming!
You are such nerds! “This wont work because of law of Thermodynamics” Thats how you sound

By: Ramsey Frist

Ramsey Frist — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:40:33 +0000

In measuring the efficiency I believe they used IR from a laser turning low entropy coherent light into heat. In absorbing high entropy black body radiation or sunlight would they be any more efficient than black painted tin? With fast diodes with incredibly low forward voltage they might be able to rectify laser light but not black body radiation.

By: Steve Watson

Steve Watson — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:37:35 +0000

Guys; Think of this as an RF antenna tuned for approximately 370THz (the center frequency for the energy being emmitted from our sun). It follows Maxwells equations and resonates the same as your TV antenna. (See research done by Dr. John Bokris at Texas A&M in 1996). Nanoantennas have actually been built and shown to resonate at light frequencies.
The difficulty is constructing the nanoantenna with a tuned wavelength at this frequency in such a manner as to be able to collect and the rectify the energy obtained.

By: Gary

Gary — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:08:27 +0000

What would happen if a highvoltage field is established between two collector plates. A third plate is heated by whatever scource and placed between the two collector plates. The em radiation from the black body then effecting the dielectric properties of the highvoltage field at a frequency determined by it’s heat content. Would the emitted em waves then show up in the hv conductors for harvesting?

By: Ramsey Frist

Ramsey Frist — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:33:39 +0000

I know of no exceptions to the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
Lets do a thought experiment with one of their perfected devices:
Place two glasses of water both at the same temperature in an insulated container with the device in one. Connect its electrical output to a resistor in the other glass. If the device worked the first glass would spontaneously get colder and the second warmer. This never happens in the real world. This to me proves that it cannot work.
For a mechanistic explanation one hangup is with the hypothetical diodes. If one could make a diode with such a low forward voltage why bother with the antennas? Thermal motion of the electrons would drive them through these hypothetical one way valves. Maxwell’s demons can not work and never will.

By: Cristian Ioan

Cristian Ioan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:17:36 +0000

Ramsey is right!
But of course, we learned in school that the Second law of Thermodynamics is not absolute, like the fist.
So a Maxwell Demon could make possible such a “perpetuum mobile” of the second type.
And even if this is not possible in practice, nanoantennas would still make high efficiency photocells for the far infrared, without breaking the Second law ..