New Alloy for Generating Electricity

http://www.aem.umn.edu/info/spotlight/james032811.shtml

"....using a multiferroic material they also recently discovered. "

Kind of suggests that it's not widely available.

Did you contact Dr. James from the UM?

This may be the rare earth metal Unobtanium.

Sent emails but received nothing,, yet. I continue to have an optimistic view towards issues like this. I get concerned with the purity of the metal when combined. Might go to trying some myself. But that's usually a losing proposition and a waste of time. Thanks

The telephone would have yielded an instant and interactive response.

Good no Great Response.. I'll keep trying..

Try my friend: Al Franken | Senator for Minnesota

He sends me e-mails every week.

Google might.

Wow,, too cool....

"The alloy consists of multiferroic composites such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and tin. Multiferric metals have rare, unique magnetic and electric properties exhibiting more than one ferroic property in a single conversion phase.

Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10, in a stable, untouched state, is a non-magnetic material which becomes strongly magnetic when exposed to high temperature. In the video below, University of Minnesota researchers show how Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10 begins as a non-magnetic material then suddenly becomes strongly magnetic as the metal is heated. When this happens, it jumps over to a permanent magnet. This represents the direct conversion of heat to kinetic energy. As this metal becomes highly magnetic it introduces electricity to an attached coil. According to University of Minnesota researchers, "this process involves heat absorption caused by rapid transformations between solid states, which in turn produce electricity. It is capable of turning waste heat - the kind emitted from vehicle exhaust pipes or from air conditioning units - directly into electricity." Click below for a glimpse of this alloy in action."

Don't blink, you'll miss it....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pWCz2lP7WcU

https://www.electricchoice.com/blog/new-alloy-turns-heat-directly-into-electricity/

http://www.ncnr.nist.gov/staff/jeff/Multiferroics.html

http://www.kbmaffilips.com/alloys_in_one_view_en.html

This seems like it could, in some configuration, be paired with a lithium battery pack to recapture heat...adding efficiency...and enhancing inherent safety of design...

http://iopscience.iop.org/1757-899X/53/1/012014

It looks like what he is describing is a Curie point transition (magnetic to non-magnetic with change in temperature.)

Gadolinium metal has a Curie temperature at around room temperature (292 K, 21C). I bought some awhile back thinking I might experiment with a Minto wheel.

The problem is that it is difficult to effect the transition rapidly because of the heat capacity and the heat released/absorbed in transition. As a heat engine, the efficiency is very low.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/7432/Minto-Wheel-Resurrected

(I think I might have bought the gadolinium from United Nuclear. They have so much neat stuff, you may forget what you were looking for!)

http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=70_71

The quest goes on.. Thanks you very much. and what a site. You're correct a guy could forget what he is looking for.

So far, I have not run across anything with respect to what the transition temperature is....any ideas?

Not till I get this alloy to try. The Ni,Co and Mn appear to be hot. The Sn I'm hoping will take the temp down a bit. Gotta find it first to test.

If they plan to OTEC (Ocean thermal energy conversion), we are talking nearly cold, and about 20 C colder than nearly cold. Are they really this far along in the research to predict this? I do like the idea of being able to use low-grade solar heating (for one example) to use in switching the field on and off. I can put up with low frequency AC made that way, still converts to DC just fine. Then it is off to the races.

Another link, this one gets technical, so enjoy!

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.201000048/abstract

The maths they use are interesting enough and apparently new applications of Faraday's Law of electro-magnetism.