Effects of chemical fuel composition on energy generation from thermopower waves

Thermopower waves, which occur during combustion within hybrid structures formed from nanomaterials and chemical fuels, result in a self-propagating thermal reaction and concomitantly generate electrical energy from the acceleration of charge carriers along the nanostructures. The hybrid structures for thermopower waves are composed of two primary components: the core thermoelectric material and the combustible fuel. So far, most studies have focused on investigating various nanomaterials for improving energy generation. Herein, we report that the composition of the chemical fuel used has a significant effect on the power generated by thermopower waves. Hybrid nanostructures consisting of mixtures of picric acid and picramide with sodium azide were synthesized and used to generate thermopower waves. A maximum voltage of ∼2 V and an average peak specific power as high as 15 kW kg −1 were obtained using the picric acid/sodium azide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) ar...

Taehan Yeo, Hayoung Hwang, Dong-Cheol Jeong, Kang Yeol Lee, Jongsup Hong, Changsik Song and Wonjoon Choi

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