Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 18 hours ago
We consider a graphene ripple as a Brownian particle coupled to an energy harvesting circuit. When both are at the same temperature, the second law forbids harvesting energy from the thermal motion of the Brownian particle even if the circuit contains a rectifying diode. However, if the circuit contains a junction followed by two diodes wired in opposition, then detailed balance can be temporarily broken allowing a net current to charge capacitors. Charges circulate between the diodes forming a vortex, which is sufficient for isothermal energy harvesting from white noise. The system evolves as a RC circuit to a steady state while obeying the first law and producing entropy.
Professor Paul Thibado received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from San Diego State University in 1990, and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. His group’s research area focuses on experimental surface physics, and they primarily use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study the properties of various surfaces at the atomic scale. They have been studying freestanding graphene using STM for more than ten years now and published more than twenty papers on the topic.
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We consider a graphene ripple as a Brownian particle coupled to an energy harvesting circuit. When both are at the same temperature, the second law forbids harvesting energy from the thermal motion of the Brownian particle even if the circuit contains a rectifying diode. However, if the circuit contains a junction followed by two diodes wired in opposition, then detailed balance can be temporarily broken allowing a net current to charge capacitors. Charges circulate between the diodes forming a vortex, which is sufficient for isothermal energy harvesting from white noise. The system evolves as a RC circuit to a steady state while obeying the first law and producing entropy.
Professor Paul Thibado received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from San Diego State University in 1990, and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. His group’s research area focuses on experimental surface physics, and they primarily use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study the properties of various surfaces at the atomic scale. They have been studying freestanding graphene using STM for more than ten years now and published more than twenty papers on the topic.
Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: scientificexploration.org/join
The SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
