DOE Patents title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Surface tension mediated conversion of light to work

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for converting light energy to mechanical energy by modification of surface tension on a supporting fluid. The apparatus comprises an object which may be formed as a composite object comprising a support matrix and a highly light absorptive material. The support matrix may comprise a silicon polymer. The highly light absorptive material may comprise vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VANTs) embedded in the support matrix. The composite object is supported on a fluid. By exposing the highly light absorptive material to light, heat is generated, which changes the surface tension of the composite object, causing it to move physically within the fluid.

Inventors:
; ; ;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1164706
Patent Number(s):
8899044
Application Number:
13/069,131
Assignee:
The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B82 - NANOTECHNOLOGY B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2011 Mar 22
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION; 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Okawa, David, Pastine, Stefan J, Zettl, Alexander K, and Frechet, Jean M. J. Surface tension mediated conversion of light to work. United States: N. p., 2014. Web.
Okawa, David, Pastine, Stefan J, Zettl, Alexander K, & Frechet, Jean M. J. Surface tension mediated conversion of light to work. United States.
Okawa, David, Pastine, Stefan J, Zettl, Alexander K, and Frechet, Jean M. J. Tue . "Surface tension mediated conversion of light to work". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1164706.
@article{osti_1164706,
title = {Surface tension mediated conversion of light to work},
author = {Okawa, David and Pastine, Stefan J and Zettl, Alexander K and Frechet, Jean M. J},
abstractNote = {Disclosed are a method and apparatus for converting light energy to mechanical energy by modification of surface tension on a supporting fluid. The apparatus comprises an object which may be formed as a composite object comprising a support matrix and a highly light absorptive material. The support matrix may comprise a silicon polymer. The highly light absorptive material may comprise vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VANTs) embedded in the support matrix. The composite object is supported on a fluid. By exposing the highly light absorptive material to light, heat is generated, which changes the surface tension of the composite object, causing it to move physically within the fluid.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 02 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Tue Dec 02 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Cast - away bobber
patent-application, May 2005


Surface Tension Mediated Conversion of Light to Work
journal, April 2009


Large-scale simulations of fluctuating biological membranes
journal, April 2010


Optical thin-film materials with low refractive index for broadband elimination of Fresnel reflection
journal, March 2007


Thermal Properties of Metal-Coated Vertically Aligned Single-Wall Nanotube Arrays
journal, April 2008