Nanotubes + Waves of Heat = A Brand New Way to Make Electricity

Carbon nanotubes have shown the potential to help us take better x-ray images, make cheaper hydrogen fuel cells, and replace silicon in computer chips. Add another possibility onto the pile: MIT researchers report this week in Nature Materials that they've used carbon nanotubes to create thermopower waves, a system they say could put out 100 times more energy than a lithium-ion battery. Michael Strano's team coated the tubes, which are only billionths of a meter across, with a fuel.